The Department of Buildings has a new boss.
Melanie La Rocca, a vice president at the School Construction Authority, is heading over to the DOB to take over the position vacated by Rick Chandler earlier this year, according to the Commercial Observer. She starts June 3.
First Deputy Commissioner Thomas Fariello has been acting commissioner since Chandler stepped down at the end of January.
La Rocca will lead an agency tasked with assuring 1.1 million buildings and more than 45,000 active construction sites abide by the city’s building codes. Her tenure comes as the city continues to see record levels of construction activity, but also a worrying rise in the number of construction-related accidents and deaths. The agency is now charged with assuring compliance with a new law that requires additional safety training for construction workers.
“I think I’d like to spend time focusing on the safety aspect, making sure our job sites and our construction sites are safer for those who work there,” La Rocca told CO. [CO] — Hiten Samtani