ASHLAND — Being in the same building during asbestos removal is cause for concern among courthouse staff, said Ashland County Auditor Cindy Funk.
“I have a problem with working while they’re removing asbestos,” Funk said, addressing county commissioners during a Thursday meeting.
Courthouse employees received a letter earlier this week outlining Envi Environmental’s plans to remove asbestos from the second-level courtroom’s ceiling.
Removing asbestos from the courtroom’s sagging ceiling is part of a larger remediation project. The overall project has been estimated to cost around $240,000 and will close the courtroom for up to 15 weeks.
The letter states the project will start May 9, when crews will prepare for the removal by “erecting a double-layer 6-millimeter polyethylene enclosure.
“The abatement enclosure will be under negative pressure and will include a decontamination chamber and clean room for the abatement workers,” the letter reads.
Once that happens, the plan is to start removing the asbestos on May 13. The company estimated the work to last four days, meaning abatement will last through May 16 — during working hours.
Funk wondered if Envi would be available to start work on the weekend, on May 11-12, when the courthouse is closed to the public and the employees. She said crews could start working that Friday, on May 10, and continue through Monday.
“It concerns me — it concerns my employees — that the dust is still going to be there, and we’re gonna be working in it. I have a problem with that,” she said.
Ashland County commissioners said they understand the concerns.
“We’ll definitely address that,” said commissioner Denny Bittle. He added that Envi has assured them “there will be no dust coming out of that room.”
‘Waiting to see’
Dennis Harris, the county’s maintenance superintendent, said he has served as the county’s liaison between commissioners and Envi. He is aware of the courthouse staff’s concern, but that he hasn’t reached out to Envi to see if the company would be available to work during non-work hours.
“I’ve been sorta waiting to see what the commissioners wanted me to do,” Harris said.
He said he’s confident Envi will do an adequate job.
“When the project manager took samples, he was so particular and the equipment he had was high dollar … I felt confident watching him,” Harris said.
Harris said the company’s project manager, Mark Dodd, has a certificate for asbestos removal. But the company also is required to obtain a permit from the Environmental Protection Agency before abatement work can begin.
As of Friday, Harris said he has not seen the permit. He expects it to be issued before work starts on May 9.
Harris said this asbestos removal project is the largest of any county building in his remembrance.
“We’ve had smaller buildings with small amounts (of asbestos) to be removed. But never anything with this size,” he said.
So he understands the staff’s worry, he said. Even still, he’s confident there will be no danger to staff.
What to do?
Dodd, Envi’s project manager, could not be reached for comment.
Ashland County commissioner Jim Justice said he’d entertain closing the entire courthouse during asbestos removal if Envi’s availability didn’t allow them to adjust the working schedule.
But Bittle said he’d leave that decision to elected officials within the courthouse. The courthouse’s lower level, for example — where the tax map and title offices are located — wouldn’t need to close, he said.
“The title department’s a big one for me to try to keep open because it’s in the basement — it really shouldn’t affect it at all,” Bittle said.
What is asbestos?
Asbestos is found in a variety of products, including insulation, brake linings and is used to manufacture chlorine bleach and sodium hydroxide.
The EPA-banned substance is known to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma and other cancers.
It’s linked to around 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the Institute for Health Metric and Evaluation and the International Commission of Occupational Health.