The Bedford Village Fire District is demanding $2 million from Naderman Land Planning and Engineering, and the estate of Barry G. Naderman, for allegedly committing malpractice by botching plans for a new firehouse.
The alleged malpractice was “especially serious,” according to a July 26 complaint filed in Westchester Supreme Court, because the fire district has a duty as steward of voter-approved funds to build the firehouse on time and on budget.
Four years ago, the fire district hired Naderman, a North Salem civil engineer, to prepare a site plan and obtain state and county permits. The existing firehouse on Village Green was built in 1929 and no longer complies with federal regulations and guidelines.
The proposed firehouse is a few blocks from Village Green, on Old Post Road, within wetlands and a critical environmental area. Naderman had to prepare plans for managing stormwater and preventing pollution.
He explained his designs at public hearings in 2019, the complaint states, and assured the public and the fire district that his plans complied with environmental regulations.
Seven months later, on April 16, 2020, Naderman was supposed to meet with fire department representatives to discuss the project. Instead, he messaged several members and said he was unable to resolve stormwater management issues, according to the complaint.
Then “Naderman took his own life.”
The complaint does not refer to the full scale of the tragedy. Naderman, 63, killed his wife Peggy, 64, then their dogs, according to a published obituary, and then himself.
The couple had been married for 34 years. Naderman wrote that he was “blessed to have found her” and that “she has been very concerned about me lately as she recognized I was having trouble and had been boosting me with love and confidence in fixing this.”
The obituary alludes to the firehouse: “A couple of key projects complicated by the Covid restrictions became too much for Barry.”
The engineering work Naderman left behind was allegedly incomplete, inaccurate, and contained numerous errors and assumptions “that deviated from the usual and customary standards for civil engineers.”
A civil engineering firm that took over the project verified that Naderman was guilty of professional malpractice, the fire district claims, “causing severe economic harm.”
“While Mr. Naderman’s death was tragic,” the complaint states, his actions and failures delayed the project and created damages that far exceed the fees paid to the Naderman’s firm.
The fire district is represented by Mount Kisco attorney P. Daniel Hollis III.
Barry Naderman’s obituary said the “tragedy was so out of character that no one saw it coming. If you or someone you know shows signs of stress or is in crisis, please reach out and get support.”
Peggy Naderman’s obituary urged loved ones to remove guns from the homes of despondent or suicidal older adults, citing a statistic that firearms are used in 91% of murder-suicides.
The obits recommended donations be made to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
Poor taste!