Residents in the town of Barrington are concerned after more asbestos than expected was found during the demolition of the old town hall.
The board of selectmen will meet Monday to discuss their options on disposing the hazardous material. A meeting Thursday night did not produce any action on the matter.
The building was being torn down, but work came to an abrupt stop last week, when asbestos was discovered in brick and concrete blocks in an exterior wall, two pieces of ceiling pipe and the foundation.
The area has been taped off, and work has stopped until the board of selectmen approve spending between $150,000 and $235,000 more than planned to properly dispose of the debris.
Residents say they are concerned because the old town hall is adjacent to a playground, and within walking distance of a library and Early Childhood Learning Center, a school for pre-K and kindergarten aged children.
Ross Buchanan, who lives on Morgans Way, said his son is 19 years old now, but he has many friends and relatives in town with small children. He is worried about the safety of youngsters who may be curious about the unattended site.
“This poses an obvious public safety risk,” Buchanan said. “We were told a fence would be constructed on day two of the demolition, which never happened.”
Town Administrator John Scruton said his staff does not foresee any immediate public safety issues because small children at the school and playground are monitored by adults.
Over budget
Buchanan said the public’s safety is not the only problem with the demolition project. He said it is over budget. The original budget was $50,000. In September, it was announced the demolition would cost over $85,000.
Buchanan is frustrated because the old town hall is being demolished to build a new one, which will cost taxpayers $3 million, with a payback of $4 million over the course of 20 years.
Barrington’s population was 8,576 in the 2010 census.
Scruton said the building, which was a former school, became contaminated with mold, and had flooding problems, which is why town employees were moved out. Voters turned down proposals for renovations to the structure twice before it was decided to knock the building down and design a new one.
“The town knew there was some asbestos in the building, and they paid a contractor to remove all of the asbestos we knew about, and that had been identified, at the end of 2013, beginning of 2014,” Scruton said.
It wasn’t until the demolition began that the additional asbestos was identified, Scruton said.
Scruton told the board of selectmen on Thursday night that they could pay for removal of the debris, or bury it after lead paint is blasted off. Burying the debris would cost less, but members of the public who attended the meeting were not comfortable with the idea, and spoke out.
David Marshall, who lives across the street from the Ramsdell Lane site, said the town did not properly notify his family about the demolition of the building, and he could tell immediately there was something wrong when he could sense irritants in the air.
“My kids go down to the bus stop, and right there is this big, huge pile,” Marshall told the board.
Board members Susan Gaudiello and Fred Bussiere also expressed reservations about burying the debris. Bussiere said that years ago, lead paint and asbestos were popular in construction, but now the health risks are understood, so he does not want it simply buried.
Members of the public were also upset because the pile of debris has been left uncovered since work stopped. With rain expected this weekend, they demanded something be done, so the asbestos and lead paint is contained.
Board members agreed to cover the pile, but did not make a decision on what will be done with it.