S.V. mayor ordered yeshiva approved without inspections

SPRING VALLEY The mayor ordered a building official to permit a yeshiva to open, even though inspections weren't completed to ensure the school was structurally sound and safe to occupy, according to a memo obtained by The Journal News.

Another building official subsequently saw students walk inside the school at 50 Commerce Street.

Mayor Demeza Delhomme's order that Assistant Building Inspector Jackenton Lavalasse issue a certificate of occupancy for Yeshiva Oholei Shem D'nitra came under pressure from Alex Goldberger, vice president of Monsey Lumber, which is a political donor to the mayor.

Goldberger, who was converting the office building into the school, had stopped by the building department last month. While Goldberger was in the building department, Delhomme called him and Goldberger put the mayor on the phone with Lavalasse. After a walk-through inspection scheduled that day had to be canceled, the mayor asked Lavalasse what was delaying the project, the memo says.

"Without any discovery he (Delhomme) then stated that the C of O should be issued and that we shouldn't hold up the property..." Lavalasse wrote in the interoffice memo dated Aug. 17, in which he copied Building Inspector Walter Booker.

"I was ordered to write out and issue the C of O Based on the pretense that all issues would've been resolved. Unfortunately, all issues are still pending with no time stamp on a resolution being confirmed."

Because of the unresolved issues, including framing, plumbing and insulation inspections that weren't done, the property owner, Bronx-based Simcha Binem Realty, LLC was ticketed and must appear in court next month. Lavalasse had tried to explain to Delhomme that fire inspections were done, but "the building side of things were a little more complicated..." the memo says.

Although Lavalasse issued the C of O, he later voided it. It's unclear when he voided it. On Sept. 9, he ticketed Simcha Binem Realty, LLC, requiring the property be vacated "until all construction is confirmed to be in compliance with all state/code regulations..."

"The C of O has been Revoked due to the fact that there has been no Inspections {framing, rough plumbing, insulation, etc...} for multiple phases during the Construction at the above mentioned premises," the ticket says.

Company representatives could not be reached for comment.

The more than 8,000 square-foot school inside the brick face building occupies two floors and has six classrooms, offices, a dining area and worship hall. It can house 80 students who are 13 years and older and eight staff.

Delhomme declined comment to The Journal News, but denied to building Inspector Walter Booker that he ordered anything.

Booker had written a memo to the mayor Sept. 3, saying that Lavalasse was "certainly not authorized to sign the school's, or any C of O."

"I don't know if you are aware, but this project finished construction without all of its required inspections," Booker's memo to Delhomme says. "Because of this, the school can not be legally issued a Certificate of Occupancy nor occupied. Despite these facts, I have since seen young students entering and exiting the school building..."

Delhomme's response Sept. 11 to Booker was that it's been a policy of his administration to refer citizens "to the appropriate department" when they make a complaint.

"I have never asked the result and never directed anyone on how to resolve any issue," Delhomme's memo to Booker says. "My main and only concern is that our village residents get service. Your accusation that I directed Jack to approve a C of O is not factual."

Lavalasse wrote another memo to the mayor dated Sept. 11, changing the part about the mayor ordering him to issue the CO.

"I was ordered to take care of the situation," he wrote. "I was not ordered to issue the C of O. I issued the C of O Based on the pretense that all issues would've been resolved."

Lavalesse did not respond to a request for comment and Goldberger did not return phone calls. Samuel Teitelbaum, the school's administrator, could not be reached for comment.

It's the latest controversy for Delhomme, who declared himself "king" of the village during an outburst in June.

Earlier this month, the newspaper reported that Delhomme ordered the village clerk to take videos of the outburst out of two trustees' mailboxes. The newspaper also reported that the mayor was investigated for misconduct after DPW employees on village time, tried to install a generator at his girlfriend's house before a snowstorm.

No charges were filed by the Rockland County District Attorney's Office in those cases.