Is Thor's Coney Island Demolition Safe?

The photo above is one we took of paint chips all over the ground in the aftermath of some of Thor's demolition work in Coney Island. As things would have it, we found the following post over at the Coney Island Message Board last night, posted by the person who goes by the name of Captain Nemo:

Walking by the former Go Kart track on West 12, I spotted lots of paint chips on the ground, from the recent demolition done in the area.

Backtrack a couple of years ago. When they were rehabbing the steel structure of the Parachute Jump, they sand blasted the old paint off in a temporary building with negative pressure, so the poisonous lead paint doesnt get airbourne and contaminant the neighborhood. They even posted signs warning people not to eat in the area as a further precaution.

This last year, IKEA was fined for not taking proper precautions when knocking down civil war era buildings that contained asbestos, but IKEA claimed was free of asbestos.

So isnt it more likely then not, that the paint chips all around the area could have contained lead, and poisoned the whole area through their negligence?

Also, when I pass a construction site in the city, whether they are building or removing existing structures, they post the necessary permits.

I dont remember ever seeing any type of official paperwork publicly posted saying they have official permission from the city to do so?

So, did Thor break the law and [is it] continuing to do so?

We scoured the Department of Buildings database and there are no demolition permits on any of the properties that we could find and, certainly, no posted as they are at demolition sites around the city. We will assume that for some technical reason, they weren't necessary because the Department of Buildings--while clearly Kafkaesque in its approach to inspection, enforcement and public safety--couldn't be that blatantly oblivious to such a high-profile project. (Although, it's curious, because erecting some of the structures that were demolished required building permits.) The lead paint question--permits or lack thereof notwithstanding--is an interesting one too.

We can report that a permit was issued on March 21 for a construction fence on the W. 12th Street property in question and around the former miniature golf course. So, look for those lovely big blue fences to go up soon and for an important approach to the Coney Island Boardwalk--the most direct from the Stillwell Avenue subway station--to become a potentially unpleasant and dangerous canyon lined by block-long dead, blank blue wood walls just in time for the 2007 summer season.