A demolished cold storage building has caused Pueblo officials to raise concerns over the risk of asbestos exposure.

Pueblo, CO – A demolished cold storage building has caused city officials to raise concerns over the risk of asbestos exposure.

The Pueblo Cold Storage building, located in the city’s downtown area, has not been operated for many years. In 2001, the electric and water utilities were cut from the building, and it was later condemned in 2004. The storage burned down on October 23, 2007 and was demolished a week afterward.

The site remains an eyesore, but what the city is really concerned about is the presence of asbestos in the property’s debris. The city wants the state government to take action and require the property’s owner, Omar Maaliki, to remove the debris from the site. However, the state has said that, for the moment, it only has the authority to require Maaliki to contain the asbestos and prevent it from becoming airborne.

State Health Department spokesman Christopher Dann said that the state can’t take any enforcement actions as long as the property owner continues to prevent the public from accessing the lot and continues to contain the substance.

Inspectors from the Pueblo City-County Health Department have asserted that Maaliki has not abided by those regulations. If state inspectors confirm that allegation, enforcement actions will be taken to have Maaliki clean up the lot.

Even if the state doesn’t force the property owner to remove the asbestos, the city can take an alternate route to clean up the site, although the plan will cost the city more than it can afford.

The city has the option to declare the property a public nuisance. Should it decide to do so, Maaliki will be given 24 hours to begin the cleanup or face a maximum $300 fine and up to 90 days in jail. If he doesn’t comply, the city would end up having to perform the cleanup, an estimated $500,000 expense which would come out of taxpayer money.

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