Bracci Fence and Ironworks

The below letter has been mailed throughout the community of Broad Channel by Bracci Fence and Ironworks of Brooklyn, New York.

The letter refers to the pending Flood Mitigation Project (HWQ 1118A) involving the construction of new bulkheads and raised streets on West 11th, 12th and 13th Roads.

Particular attention should be paid to the first paragraph of the above letter wherein Michael Bracci, President of Bracci Fence and Ironworks states:

"To My Broad Channel Neighbors: I am sure you all know by now that the City has approved the raising of several streets, West 11th, 12th and 13th in our neighborhood and will be starting work soon.  What they didn't tell you is that if they take down your fence in front of your own property they will just throw it in the trash.  The City is not responsible for your fences and will not be paying to put new ones up.  However you do have the option to have your existing fences and railings taken down and stored on your property to be reinstalled after the City is finished at your own expense." 

Mr. Bracci also states that states that he is "...a resident of Broad Channel so I know firsthand the expenses we had after Sandy to put our homes back in shape and anything we can do to save a few bucks is a help."

I do not personally know Mr. Bracci nor have I met him at any of the project meetings that have been ongoing since 2010 however, I can state for the record that his assertion that the City "didn't tell you....that if they take down your fence in front of your own property they will just throw it in the trash." is totally without merit as the issue of encroachments and encroachment removal has been specifically addressed on many occasions at the myriad project meetings that have taken place over the past several years.  At first blush, this appears to be a blatant scare tactic sales pitch to garner business for the company by way of wrongly implying that the city will trash your existing fencing and other structures unless you contract with Bracci Fence and Ironworks.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Mr. Bracci should  avail himself of the copious data and voluminous minutes that have been compiled and maintained regarding this project since 2010, in particular the minutes of the April 28, 2011 meeting of the Broad Channel Civic Association attended by DOT Queens Commissioner Maura McCarthy, and RBA Design Group representatives, Mr. Joseph Menza and Ms. Linda Lerner wherein Commissioner McCarthy stated:

"Many individual property encroachments may need to be partially or totally removed to accommodate the construction of the new roadway on the affected roads, including a new (buried) retaining wall against the property frontage. The city will replace any removed encroachments at the projects completion with temporary wooden stairs, simple cyclone fences,  etc).  If any property owner has expensive or ornamental fencing or other structures they wish to save, they should remove them and arrange safekeeping.  We do not want to place  the contractor in a position of removing such expensive or ornamental fencing or other structure as they do not want to be responsible for any unintentional/accidental damage to same. At the end of the meeting representatives from the RBA Group met individually with all West 12th Road property owners at the meeting and provided them with specific information indicating how this project would affect their individual properties."

In closing, anyone receiving the above letter from Bracci Fence and Ironworks should not think that it is imperative to contract with any business to arrange for the removal and safeguarding of any property at this time.  Each of you will have ample opportunity to meet with the contractor and/or the Contractor's Community Liaison, Ms. Fern Weinstein, prior to actual construction beginning on your street to discuss and address all encroachment issues (including removal and replacement) if they exist.

Peter J. Mahon