The city of Stamford has been fined $2,720 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for ongoing problems at the Stamford police headquarters, including the presence of asbestos, which was discovered in a ceiling by an HVAC contractor this past March. In total, five asbestos-related violations were issued.
OSHA investigators have visited the headquarters several times to assess the building’s issues, and now they have given the city a deadline of March, 2015, to clean up the contaminated debris. Officials have yet to decide which course to take: to put money into repairing the existing station, or to purchase another property entirely.
Stamford Police Chief Jonathan Fontneau expressed his opinion that the city should invest in a new headquarters. “Personally, I feel we are throwing good money after bad to fix it,” he said. “It would be like putting a Band-Aid on a broken bone.”
Fontneau has even asked the city for $45 million to fund a relocation, with $30 million of that money allocated for the building itself. “I don’t know how many millions it will cost to fix what’s wrong with a building that is already antiquated to serve as a modern police department,” he said.
The 65-year-old current headquarters is racked with problems: lead-contaminated water, outdated technology, and a ventilation system that can’t be used because it could potentially emit asbestos dust throughout the building. Asbestos exposure is incredibly dangerous; if inhaled, the toxic fibers can lead to numerous health problems, including asbestosis and mesothelioma.
Although air quality tests have shown that the officers are not currently endangered when at the headquarters, the problem cannot go unaddressed. Union members have voiced their concern and are expecting to receive health screenings courtesy of the local government. Ultimately, though, the union will defer to the city. “I’ll leave it up to city officials to come up with the best solution to either do the abatement process or find another suitable building for the police department,” said Todd Lobraico, president of the Stamford Police Association.