Committee authorizes immediate asbestos remediation at high school and seeks budget plan for multi‑year abatement
August 06, 2021 | Blackstone-Millville, School Boards, Massachusetts
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The Blackstone‑Millville Regional School Committee on Aug. 5 authorized immediate asbestos mitigation work at the high school and agreed to include larger abatement phases in future budgets, contingent on passage.
District officials reported that the Department of Labor Standards (DLS) inspected the high school and identified fire‑proofing insulation around ceiling pipes that contains asbestos material. The district retained Universal Environmental Consultants (UEC) to scope remediation. The committee authorized UEC’s summer 2021 scope — described in the proposal as $22,500 for the work plus $9,800 for monitoring and air sampling — so the district can replace damaged ceiling tiles, remove loose asbestos debris and certify air quality before students return.
Administration said the UEC plan includes larger scheduled work in summer 2022 ($195,000 plus $28,000 monitoring) and summer 2023 ($175,000 plus $26,500 monitoring). Committee members noted that those amounts represent a substantial multi‑year capital need and discussed presenting the project to town capital/finance committees so the costs would be financed outside the district’s instructional budget. "We cannot not afford it," one member said, framing abatement as a health and safety necessity.
A motion to authorize consulting, monitoring and ceiling‑tile work for summer 2021 and to include the 2022–23 scopes in upcoming budgets (contingent on passage) was moved and approved by voice vote. Committee members asked administration to pursue capital funding discussions with the towns and to provide clearer material and public‑bid cost details for the 2022–23 work before those budgets are finalized.
The committee emphasized the DLS determination that the building can be occupied if the prescribed steps are taken and that failure to act could jeopardize high‑school use. The administration said it will coordinate with capital planning and town officials about financing options and next steps.
District officials reported that the Department of Labor Standards (DLS) inspected the high school and identified fire‑proofing insulation around ceiling pipes that contains asbestos material. The district retained Universal Environmental Consultants (UEC) to scope remediation. The committee authorized UEC’s summer 2021 scope — described in the proposal as $22,500 for the work plus $9,800 for monitoring and air sampling — so the district can replace damaged ceiling tiles, remove loose asbestos debris and certify air quality before students return.
Administration said the UEC plan includes larger scheduled work in summer 2022 ($195,000 plus $28,000 monitoring) and summer 2023 ($175,000 plus $26,500 monitoring). Committee members noted that those amounts represent a substantial multi‑year capital need and discussed presenting the project to town capital/finance committees so the costs would be financed outside the district’s instructional budget. "We cannot not afford it," one member said, framing abatement as a health and safety necessity.
A motion to authorize consulting, monitoring and ceiling‑tile work for summer 2021 and to include the 2022–23 scopes in upcoming budgets (contingent on passage) was moved and approved by voice vote. Committee members asked administration to pursue capital funding discussions with the towns and to provide clearer material and public‑bid cost details for the 2022–23 work before those budgets are finalized.
The committee emphasized the DLS determination that the building can be occupied if the prescribed steps are taken and that failure to act could jeopardize high‑school use. The administration said it will coordinate with capital planning and town officials about financing options and next steps.
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