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Asbestos discovery puts Colbert School renovation on hold |
Fri 11/20/2009
Colbert school renovation plans are in abeyance following asbestos was discovered inside the building.
Inspectors found the cancer-causing substance in the building on Tuesday.
According to Colbert Mayor John Waggoner, contractors were about to start working on many rooms in the building’s west wing this week.
“We were planning to renovate that end of the building and rent it out like the other end,” Waggoner said.
City council members will meet in December to discuss regarding the removal of asbestos. Renovations won’t start until that, Waggoner said.
The structure was built in 1926, when asbestos was a very common building material.
Asbestos is a known carcinogen. The material is made up of small fibers, which can become airborne if it is disturbed or broken. These fibers are easily inhalable. Inhalation of asbestos fibers often results in terminal diseases such as mesothelioma and in severe respiratory issues. The only known reason for mesothelioma, a rare and fatal cancer, is asbestos exposure. The disease may take decades to develop, but, once diagnosed, it kills most of its victims within 1 year.
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