A City Council special committee will investigate the deadly South Philly garage collapse
Members of the panel have not yet been selected, but the committee will consist of Council members, construction experts, and community residents.
Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson will convene a special committee to investigate the South Philadelphia parking garage collapse, the third probe launched to examine the incident that left three construction workers dead.
Johnson, who represents the Grays Ferry neighborhood where the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia garage partially collapsed last week, sponsored legislation Thursday to form the special investigative committee.
Members of the panel have not yet been selected, but the committee will consist of Council members, construction experts, and community residents. The group will hold public hearings and have subpoena power to explore both the collapse and the city’s general construction practices.
The panel is charged with submitting a report of findings and recommendations to Council and the mayor. No timetable has been set.
City officials said the seven-story garage that was under construction at 30th Street and Grays Ferry Avenue partially collapsed when a precast concrete roof segment failed and fell. Three ironworkers — Mark Scott Jr., Matthew Kane, and Stepan Shevchuk — were killed.
» READ MORE: Two workers who died in the CHOP garage collapse were recovered as Parker outlines investigation details
In addition to the Council investigation, the incident is being probed by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which will work to determine the cause of the collapse.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker also signed an executive order directing the city’s law department to conduct an investigation in partnership with an outside consultant. The results of that probe are to be made public by mid-October.
After that report is produced, a committee separate from Council’s investigation will review the findings and offer recommendations to the mayor on possible reforms. That work will focus largely on the Department of Licenses and Inspections.
Council members on Thursday also approved a resolution honoring the city employees from the fire department, police department, and other agencies who responded to the collapse.
