By Josh Williams
DNAinfo Reporter/ Producer
FINANCIAL DISTRICT — A proposal to install a 4,000-gallon above-ground gas tank at a downtown heliport has raised concerns among residents who fear it poses a safety risk and could become a terrorist target.
The Wall Street Heliport, located on Pier 17 near Broad Street, has asked Community Board 1's Financial District Committee for approval to install the $375,000 refueling tank in what is presently a parking lot. It's part of a renovation that would also add an extra floor to the control tower.
A representative for the heliport told the committee Wednesday night that the tank meets FDNY regulations, but members said they wanted the city's Joint Terrorism Taskforce to review the proposal before going ahead.
“Downtown is the center of the world, you have to take extraordinary safety procedures,” said committee member Joel Kopel.
“Anyone could get on a flight and with it being in a parking lot they could leave their car parked next to it and then boom.”
But Patricia Ornst, the heliport's director of aviation, insisted that the gas tank would actually help residents. She said that it would reduce the number of helicopter flights, and therefore the noise level, because helicopters wouldn't have to make extra trips to W. 34th Street for refuelling.
“Right now the current fueling procedures have helicopters flying to the W. 34th Street heliport, this would decrease our flights 10 percent and benefit the community by decreasing noise,” Ornst said.
Ornst agreed to have security specialists look at the plan and update the Financial District Committee about their findings.
