NEW YORK, NY May 31, 2008 —City officials will meet with construction industry experts Saturday to discuss Friday's deadly crane collapse on the Upper East Side. Investigators will be be focusing on a particular weld that failed, according to city buildings officials. The turntable that helps the crane change direction apparently fell off before the collapse. The site at 91st Street and First Avenue where two workers died yesterday has had a troubled history, as WNYC's Matthew Schuerman reports.

REPORTER: The developer, the DeMatteis Organizations, got a long-term lease on the property from the city for free, in exchange for building a new middle school next door. Since ground was broken on the 32-story tower in September, the city buildings department has issued 14 construction violations.

In April, the crane in question failed two load tests, once after the operator damaged a safety switch. The crane was put back into service after repairs were made. A DeMatteis spokesman says the number of violations is not unusual for the size of the project, and that the company welcomes working with inspectors to address safety concerns. When completed, the tower is supposed to have 128 apartments, ranging in price from $600,000 to $5 million.

For WNYC, I'm Matthew Schuerman