Ohio school board to sell asbestos-laden former office buildingCincinnati, Ohio - Following unsuccessful attempts to auction it off, an Ohio school district is going to resort to selling an asbestos-laden building that once housed offices.
"We've tried auction and we've had it with a Realtor, but it hasn't worked. This is a way to save some money by not having to pay a realtor and to see if we can sell the thing," said Superintendent Jim Smith.
"If we were going to remove the asbestos and remodel the building, we were going to have to bring it up to code, which included making it handicap accessible and putting in an elevator," Smith explained. "To put that much money into an old building just didn't seem viable."
School board president Mark Rose said the building simply does not suit the needs of the school district. "We felt it was our duty to get our employees into a safer work environment and the district had outgrown the square footage of that building," Rose said. "That building was not built to be an office building and it just wasn't working out."
Asbestos exposure can lead to development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, later in life. Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year. The disease typically lies dormant for up to fifty years before an individual begins to suffer from mesothelioma symptoms, and the majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer in less than two years.
Bids for the building will be accepted through February 18th, with an official decision to be made at the school board meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, February 22.
