AUBURN - A Cayuga County resolution to conduct environmental health and safety surveys in all county-owned buildings is quickly making its way through county committees.
Wednesday night the county Legislature Public Works Committee unanimously passed a resolution that will allow the county to investigate and identify environmental health and safety hazards in county facilities to determine the extent of any hazards.
After the Ways and Means Committee created and passed the resolution Tuesday night, Fred Westphal, county attorney, presented the resolution to the public works committee.
From the surveys, diagrams can be made identifying locations of any hazards, including lead paint, mercury and asbestos.
Westphal said Geomatrix of Liverpool is already taking care of the Board of Elections building area, but would like a company to also survey all the buildings.
Geomatrix may complete asbestos surveying at the BOE site by today or Friday, Westphal said. The county could be ready to approve a company to perform asbestos abatement by Aug. 24.
Legislature Chairman George Fearon said he hopes to temporarily move BOE employees from the County Office Building to the former district attorney's office on Court Street after cleanup and Internet wiring to the county system are completed.
The county is telling BOE employees to be ready to work out of this location during primaries, Fearon said.
Once surveys are completed and abatement vendors submit proposals, legislators will have a better idea of how long abatement will take.
“We are telling employees to prepare for the worst,” Fearon said. Employees are currently making lists of items they will need to work out of this location for the upcoming primaries, Sept. 12
Ray Lockwood, R-Aurelius, predicts the asbestos cleanup will take three months. All records in the BOE area have to be carefully cleaned, which is a timely process, Westphal said.
“I'm all for whatever we can do for the board of elections,” said Paul Dudley, R-Cato.
Meanwhile, two more notices of claims are expected to be filed today against Cayuga County regarding exposure to asbestos #- one by a mail carrier and another by a former jail inmate, attorney Carl DePalma said earlier in the day.
DePalma now represents 14 potential claims and said he has only had a brief response from attorneys representing the county.
DePalma said he spoke briefly with an attorney from Harris Beach, who said he would soon be in touch regarding the claims.
“We're moving forward. I have no doubt my clients were exposed to asbestos,” DePalma said.
DePalma thinks the county might be waiting for claims to settle down before taking action.
Staff writer Kristina Martino can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kristina.martino@lee.net
After the Ways and Means Committee created and passed the resolution Tuesday night, Fred Westphal, county attorney, presented the resolution to the public works committee.
From the surveys, diagrams can be made identifying locations of any hazards, including lead paint, mercury and asbestos.
Westphal said Geomatrix of Liverpool is already taking care of the Board of Elections building area, but would like a company to also survey all the buildings.
Geomatrix may complete asbestos surveying at the BOE site by today or Friday, Westphal said. The county could be ready to approve a company to perform asbestos abatement by Aug. 24.
Legislature Chairman George Fearon said he hopes to temporarily move BOE employees from the County Office Building to the former district attorney's office on Court Street after cleanup and Internet wiring to the county system are completed.
The county is telling BOE employees to be ready to work out of this location during primaries, Fearon said.
Once surveys are completed and abatement vendors submit proposals, legislators will have a better idea of how long abatement will take.
“We are telling employees to prepare for the worst,” Fearon said. Employees are currently making lists of items they will need to work out of this location for the upcoming primaries, Sept. 12
Ray Lockwood, R-Aurelius, predicts the asbestos cleanup will take three months. All records in the BOE area have to be carefully cleaned, which is a timely process, Westphal said.
“I'm all for whatever we can do for the board of elections,” said Paul Dudley, R-Cato.
Meanwhile, two more notices of claims are expected to be filed today against Cayuga County regarding exposure to asbestos #- one by a mail carrier and another by a former jail inmate, attorney Carl DePalma said earlier in the day.
DePalma now represents 14 potential claims and said he has only had a brief response from attorneys representing the county.
DePalma said he spoke briefly with an attorney from Harris Beach, who said he would soon be in touch regarding the claims.
“We're moving forward. I have no doubt my clients were exposed to asbestos,” DePalma said.
DePalma thinks the county might be waiting for claims to settle down before taking action.
Staff writer Kristina Martino can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kristina.martino@lee.net
The Citizens' Say
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Lara wrote on Aug 17, 2006 4:53 PM: