NYC Lawmakers Want to Stop Noisy Construction Near Schools

New York City elected officials rallied at P.S. 163 on Manhattan's Upper West Side today to stop a future contruction project next to the school.  

 

There's plans to begin constructing a 20-story tower next to the school as soon as summer 2015.  And New York City lawmakers like Council Member Mark Levine are worried the project could jeopardize the well-being of the school's more than 600 students.

 

"If the building goes forward, it'll subject kids to years of jackhammers, pile drivers, earth movers, and delivery trucks moving in and out," he said.  "The site happens to be contaminated.  There's lead in the soil and some other toxins."

 

Levine says P.S. 163's especially at risk because of the dust problem.  But he says noisy construction serves as a serious distraction for students across New York. 

 

"At a time when kids face high stakes testing and pressure to perform academically, you can't put all that pressure on kids when they have jackhammers outside their window," he said.  "That's just unfair."

 

Levine introduced a bill in June that would ban construction projects near schools from operating at a  noise level above 45 decibels.  He says he hopes to hold a City Council hearing on the legislation by the end of this year.