Columbia County officials are raising concerns over the rising costs of ongoing asbestos abatement for the county courthouse renovation. Despite the financial and physical setbacks of continuous asbestos removal, the renovation project remains on schedule.
However, the chief concern over the rising costs of asbestos removal is that new asbestos issues continue to crop up during the course of the project. County officials allege that the initial environmental survey – to gauge how much of the asbestos needed to be removed – was incomplete and resulted in poor planning.
According to John Cutsumpas, a partner at Lothrop Associates, the firm spearheading the renovation, asbestos “continues to be a big problem. Every time you turn around, you find a little more.”
Before the renovation project kicked off, Columbia County estimated that the asbestos abatement work would cost roughly $70,000. The estimate was based off of survey work conducted by Alpine Environmental Services, a contractor hired to remove the asbestos. The original $70,000 price tag has since ballooned to $192,000. County officials blame Alpine Environmental Services for poor survey work and planning for the rising costs.
Michael Benson, Supervisor and Chair of the Public Works Committee suggests that if Alpine Environmental Services had properly executed the survey of the property before providing an estimate, the county would have been able to seek other bids for the asbestos abatement, and, perhaps, saved some money through a competitive bid process.
A popular misconception is that asbestos, a highly carcinogenic material, is manmade. However, asbestos is actually the name for a set of naturally-occurring minerals. During the height of asbestos use, asbestos was manufactured into building and plumbing materials. Due to its highly durable properties including insulation and flame resistance, asbestos was manufactured into floor and ceiling tiles, plumbing insulation and roofing materials.
Since exposure to asbestos particles is considered highly dangerous and a health threat, removing or abating asbestos from a building is often regulated to professional contractors, trained in handling the toxic material. Improper handling can easily lead to asbestos exposure and can cause mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that affects the pleura or lining surrounding the lungs.
Despite the financial setbacks of the additional asbestos work, the renovated Columbia County courthouse is scheduled for completion early in 2014.