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New Jersey school board trying to sell asbestos-laden school
In Belleville, New Jersey, the local Board of Education is attempting to find a buyer for a former school building known to contain asbestos, a carcinogenic material linked to lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive type of cancer. Mesothelioma can take decades to develop and affects thousands of new patients each year. Sadly, many mesothelioma patients pass away within two years of being diagnosed.
The BOE hopes that if they can find a buyer for the asbestos-laden school, they can use the proceeds from the sale to help alleviate overcrowded classes throughout the district. The site in question is known as School No. 1, a three-story former elementary school building that is over one hundred years old. It closed down in the 1970s, and has been used since then for storage and parking.
Board president Joseph Longo says that because of the asbestos present in the building, it has been estimated that it could cost as much as $10 million to renovate the building for use as a school again.
"It's an eyesore and a liability," Longo said. "Even if we were able to take the building, gut it, rebuild it brand-new, up to code, it would not suffice as a school anymore, because the rooms are too small."
"We have looked at a number of solutions, and we thought that if we could sell this building and use this money toward selected capital improvement, at least we can show some progress," Longo added. "We want to gain the confidence of the public and show them we're serious."
District business administrator Edward Appleton says that the overcrowding in area schools has a lot to do with an increased focus on providing services for students will special needs.
"What we're seeing is that a lot of special education classrooms are smaller in numbers, but take a whole classroom away from regular education," Appleton said.