New York Library Undergoes Asbestos Removal

An asbestos remediation project has shut down the James Prendergast Public Library in Jamestown, New York since August 31. According to library director Catherine Way, the job started out as a "simple fix" of the lights in both the main reading room and the children's section, but then "mushroomed" into a much larger task. The light fixtures in the older building had to be replaced, rewired and refit.

The new work necessitated the removal of asbestos insulation used in the ceiling. The cleanup project, run by Chris Stohl and his firm, Stohl Environmental, could have been conducted without the need to close the library facility. However, library board members considered the level of noise, dust and other potential hazards before deciding to close the library indefinitely during the asbestos abatement work due to public safety concerns.

During the project, Mr. Stohl and his workers also took out the carpeting and the tile floors in order to make way for electricians to work on the building's wiring system. The asbestos remediation crews will also move bookshelves, computers and other equipment from one section of the building to another to prevent cross-contamination between the four sections of the library due to receive their attention.

According to Ms. May, the entire renovation project is estimated to cost over $800,000, with the majority of those funds budgeted for the asbestos removal portion of the job. The funding comes from a wide variety of charitable foundations and state library renovation grants; no city or county taxes are earmarked for the project. The library has not undergone any renovation work in over thirty years, so many local observers consider the project long overdue.

Ms. May also stated, in a recent update, that the asbestos cleanup portion of the renovation is almost complete. Crews from Stohl Environmental are due to finish the work on the main reading room within the week. The front section of the building has already undergone a complete asbestos removal process and electricians are busy installing new power lines in order to rewire the building.

After the asbestos workers finish with the main reading room, cleanup efforts will move to the children's room. Library staff members are still in the process of removing books and other materials from the room before the crews start their work. Ms. May estimates that the asbestos removal tasks in the children's room should be one of the easier aspects of the project and has stated that it "should go pretty quickly".

At the start of the project, board members learned that the ballasts in the ceiling used to support the older light fixtures were no longer available and had not been manufactured for several years. After they learned that they would have to remove asbestos found in both the ceiling and the floors to rewire the building, they decided to close the library until the work could be completed with a minimal impact on library staff and patrons.

Contrary to some ideas that had been discusses, staff members did not take part in any of the asbestos remediation efforts. Ms. May emphasized that the library followed state and federal regulations in employing and experienced and licensed firm to deal with the specialized cleanup and disposal work involved in dealing with the dangerous substance.

Source: Jamestown Post-Journal

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