South Range Local school board requests the release of funds initially intended for asbestos removalGreenford, Ohio - The South Range Local school board held a special session this month to request that the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission (OSFC) release funds reserved for demolition of the district's old facilities. The amount in question is $615,000 that was originally earmarked for the demolition and asbestos abatement of the old middle school in Greenford and the high school and elementary in North Lima.
However, the buildings in question have since been purchased by Greenford Bobcats Inc. Since the school buildings no longer belong to the school board, the funds are no longer needed for the same purpose. Funding is now needed for the new K-12 campus that will open this coming fall, but if the earmarked funds are released, they can only be used for expenditures associated with construction.
The funds will only be released once the OSFC board has considered and approved the request. Even if the school board’s request is accepted, the funds likely won’t be released the end of the new project.
As for the three schools that were sold, Greenford Bobcats Inc. will now privately have to assume the cost of asbestos abatement. Asbestos is a carcinogenic mineral that is commonly found in school buildings built prior to the 1980’s. Asbestos is known to cause lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare and very aggressive cancer of the protective lining of the body’s major organs and cavities.
If asbestos is not removed from the schools prior to demolition, construction workers and the surrounding community will be exposed to asbestos, increasing the probability that they will develop peritoneal mesothelioma, which targets the lining of the abdomen.
