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Firehouse Project Pushed Back Due to Asbestos Discovery
A project that would involve the demolition of several older buildings to make way for a new firehouse has been pushed back due to a need for asbestos removal. The buildings, located on East Chestnut Avenue in Vineland, NJ, will now need to go through a second round of bids.
City officials decided to throw out the first round of bids for the demolition after determining that interested contractors had not included the amount for asbestos removal in their bids.
Business Administrator Denise Monaco said the original notice seeking bids did not clarify asbestos cleanup would be needed.
The property includes a two-story brick building that was once a school. Other buildings on the site include a warehouse with a concrete roof that wraps around the school, as well as a few office buildings.
Mayor Robert Romano, who took office last July, said the previous city administration had purchased the buildings. Romano stated that he had not been made aware of the fact that asbestos cleanup was going to be necessary until after the first bid notice went out.
Romano told reporters that the previous administration received results of a property study conducted in March 2008 that recommended asbestos removal be conducted before the buildings were put up for sale. However, that cleanup was never performed.
"The previous administration's incompetence is causing the city of Vineland to pay $200,000 extra," Romano said. "The cleanup is almost going to cost as much as the city bought it for."
Asbestos removal is required by environmental law before the demolition of a building. If a building does not undergo asbestos abatement, fibers may be released into the air during demo, and those working at or near the site may be exposed.
Exposure to asbestos is conclusively linked to the onset of mesothelioma, a fatal form of cancer. Although there is no known cure, survival rates for mesothelioma sufferers have improved in recent years, and leading oncologists in the field of mesothelioma research, including Dr. David Sugarbaker, continue to work towards a cure.