Asbestos removal to begin

WINSTED — A long-planned asbestos abatement project for Pearson Middle School will begin within weeks, according to Superintendent of Schools Blaise Salerno.At the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, June 14, Salerno said the project has been approved by the State Department of Education.The project was originally discussed and developed by the town’s School Building Committee back in February.The asbestos abatement will include the demolition of 34,262 square feet of asbestos-containing floor tile located in classrooms and hallways throughout the school building.The cost for the project itself, which is covered in the approved school district’s budget for 2011-12, is up to $515,000.The state is set to reimburse up to 70 percent of the costs for the total project.“We have been given authorization to begin a bid process,” Salerno said. “The school building itself should be closed in July and August for project work.”Board member Christine Royer asked Salerno to develop a backup plan for fifth- and sixth-graders just in case the project is not completed by the beginning of the school year.“I have yet to see any project in any school district, especially an asbestos [abatement] project, finish on time,” Royer said. “We should keep that in mind. I’m not saying I have a lack of faith in [Building Committee Chairman Joseph Beadle] or [Purchasing Director Mark Douglass]. I just know that these projects sometimes take a long time.”Salerno said he would create a backup plan just in case the project is not finished by the time the school year begins.He added that in order for the project to be completed, every piece of equipment in the school must be moved away from the work area.

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