LA HABRA HEIGHTS >> More asbestos has been found in the roof of City Hall and it’s going to cost an estimated $60,000 to remove it, according to City Manager Shauna Clark.
All of the asbestos in City Hall, which is undergoing a $2.3 million renovation, was thought to have been removed.
But when Cal City Construction crews started to remove the roof, they suspected the bottom layers might contain asbestos, Clark said.
“It was completely sealed by other layers of roofing,” she said.
They covered the roof and directed crews to avoid the area until the unknown materials could be tested.
It was tested and on Monday, certified asbestos consultant Michael Lyssy of Pacific Environmental submitted a report that a fabric membrane on the roof tested positive for asbestos, Clark said.
The material wasn’t discovered during an assessment completed by McClain Consultants in 2011, she said.
That assessment systematically tested sections of the buildings, including the roof, finding asbestos in several places. It appears that due to its location, the membrane was not discovered by McClain and therefore not called out in the assessment, she said.
Clark said the project’s budget has a $130,000 contingency that will be used to cover the added cost.
Removal of the asbestos, which is expected to take about two weeks to complete, should begin sometime this week, she said. Approval by South Coast Air Quality Management District is needed before the work can start.
Resident George Edwards, who sued the city seeking to stop the construction because of concerns about potential harm from asbestos to the adjacent Heights Christian Preschool and Fire Department dormitory, said the discovery confirmed his fears.
“We always felt the whole building should have been encapsulated since it’s so close to the school and dormitory,” he said.
Edwards, who already has lost twice in court in his effort to stop the project, said he plans a third effort.
“For the sake of the children, we need to head back to court and stop this project and force them to follow the law,” he said.
Clark said the building will be sealed with a tarp.
“It will be much more intensive than when the initial asbestos was removed,” she said. “All of the work will be done inside. We’re going to build a tent or a superstructure over the roof, It will be air tight.”
Clark said it’s still a possibility that more asbestos will be found.
“Finding things that were previously unknown is extremely common,” she said about construction projects.
In this case, the asbestos was difficult to find because it’s buried in the roof, she said.
