Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

The St. Claire County commissioners announced that an ambitious revitalization project involving five buildings owned by the county and the city of Port Huron (including the old YMCA building) would have to be put on hold until the county could come up with the funds to remove copious amounts of asbestos containing materials from the properties prior to demolition. 

Independent testing revealed unsafe levels of asbestos within the buildings and, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asbestos regulations, abatement must precede any demolition or renovation project to ensure the safety of construction workers at the site. 

Asbestos was commonly used in construction materials until the 1980s and airborne asbestos fibers can cause mesothelioma, an aggressive and incurable form of cancer.  OSHA has mandated a maximum safe exposure level of 0.1 asbestos fibers per liter of air in the workplace. 

Bill Kauffman, the St. Clair County administrator, approached the city of Port Huron in an effort to team up and attract a lower offer from abatement companies.  The expenses of asbestos abatement can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars and put financial strain on town and city governments, bloating the budgets of any planned renovation products.   

Huron Consultants of Port Huron, will oversee the asbestos abatement project and supervise Dore and Associates Consulting of Bay City, the contractor the county hired to raze the buildings.  Kauffman said the asbestos abatement should start by May.

In addition to the YMCA, asbestos was found in several other older buildings that are no longer being used: the old Bard Street jail, the Economic Opportunity Committee building, the former juvenile detention center and the former Day Treatment/Night Watch.  While airborne asbestos fibers are deadly, asbestos containing materials are intact, such as ceiling and floor tiles that are in good condition, no risk is present.  It is assumed that the asbestos presented no danger to patrons of these former businesses while they were operating. 

However, Kauffman is now anxious to get the project underway and over with because the properties are becoming unsafe as they sit vacant.  Deterioration due to age, weather, and vandalism, had left many of the buildings unsightly and possible health hazards.  Kauffman called the buildings “a liability.”

Removal of hazardous materials is a multi-billion dollar per year business and abatement experts must adhere to strict EPA guidelines during every stage of the project, including providing training and safety gear to all workers handling the materials, managing the storage and transports of materials in closed containers, and disposing of the products in approved locations.