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After accepting a report from Volz Environmental Inc., of Pittsburgh in
February, The Borough Council recently voted to seek tender for an asbestos
clean up project in the former Second Street School.
According to the report, a nominal quantity of asbestos is present in the
school. Asbestos presence is clear around a pipe fitting in a basement crawl
space. The malignant substance can be found in the floor tiles and corresponding
adhesive as well, the report says.
"The project will remove all of the asbestos found in the building. It will be
paid for through a $400,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community
and Economic Development in October," said Janice Bowman, the secretary of
Borough.
Five current and former public works employees had launched labourer
compensation claims in October, seeking physical examinations to decide whether
they were suffering from exposure to asbestos. According to their accusation,
this happened in 2003, approximately three years after the school was bought by
the borough from the Shikellamy School District. It was from this point that the
council began their investigation into asbestos in the old Second Street School.
"Anyway, Nathan Fisher and Don Keeley, two former employees, have withdrawn
their claims since then," said Mrs. Bowman. "The two other employees, Steve Carr
and Todd Snyder, both will be examined by a Philadelphia physician with the
Asthma, Allergy and Pulmonary Associates."
Mrs. Bowman said she was not sure whether the former employee Steve Haas, the
fifth man involved in the issue, will go ahead with his claim or not. "It is not
immediately clear," she said.
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