City employees become asbestos demolition team

Amsterdam, New York – A big step forward was taken this week and the city and Montgomery County are now much closer to their goal of having an asbestos-certified demolition team.

Earlier this week, the Common Council approved of a plan to send five Department of Public Works employees to receive asbestos abatement training. According to Public Works Commissioner Paul Clayburn, the city has discussed creating a countywide demolition team for over a decade so officials are very excited to see it finally becoming real.

Once the team has finished training, they can apply for a contractor’s license from the Department of Labor which would allow them to legally perform asbestos removal work. Protective equipment such as respirators, safety attire, and decontamination tanks will also need to be bought, but Mr. Clayburn said everything is at a standstill until the workers complete their training.

The program’s sponsor, Fulton-Montgomery Community College will pay for the expenses of sending the workers to five days of training, at a cost of $1,300 per individual.

Currently, Montgomery County has the required equipment to perform demolition work, but the presence of asbestos is a big obstacle on many projects. Although it would be easy for workers to tear down the building and haul away the remains, the threat of lung cancer caused asbestos exposure prevent them from taking action.

Representative Alderman Daniel Roth agrees with Mr. Clayburn that the demolition team would be an asset to the entire county, and he looks forward to seeing the old, dilapidated buildings in the city get torn down.

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