Date: Fri 13-Jun-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

library-construction-asbestos

Full Text:

More Asbestos Work Needed At Library

BY STEVE BIGHAM

More asbestos abatement work will be needed at the Cyrenius Booth Library.

It's nothing too major, according to town officials, but it represents yet

another setback for the $4.1 million project.

"It's a small matter that would come up in any issue such as this," said First

Selectman Bob Cascella. "It's a very, very small amount, essentially."

According to Public Building & Site Committee Chairman Frank Krasnickas, the

asbestos has always been in the walls. "It's always been there, but because of

a lack of planning and coordination by the general contractor, it was never

marked out," he said. "This never would have happened if they had marked

everything out properly to begin with."

Town officials have complained for months about a lack of planning and

coordination by general contractor Building Technologies, Inc, (BTI) of

Prospect.

D-Tox of Bloomfield will do the work. Highway Department workers like Milton

Adams had done some of the abatement work, but because this is more than three

square feet, a licensed abater must be brought in. D-Tox has done work at

Hawley School.

"I don't think it'll take more than a day or two," Mr Krasnickas figured.

Last fall, high levels of asbestos were found in the existing building. The

abatement work ended up costing the town $200,000 and held up progress on the

job by more than six months.

According to Mr Cascella, the need for the asbestos abatement arose last week

after workers discovered they would need to widen a doorway area on the main

floor of the existing building in the corridor near the elevator.

"The whole wall has to come out," Mr Krasnickas said.

Meanwhile, work inside the existing building has picked up over the past week

as contractors push for an August completion. BTI handed in a detailed work

schedule for the final two months of the project last week, but town officials

were unhappy with its lack of coordination. The schedule was rejected by

project architect Bruce Tuthill and clerk-of-the-works Ed Callo.

According to Mr Krasnickas, the work schedule was basically a list of what had

to be done room by room. Then dates were added.

On Wednesday, BTI added a flow chart showing "critical pass and milestones,"

to clear up some of the confusion.

"It's still a Mickey Mouse schedule as far as I'm concerned, but they're

working there," Mr Krasnickas said.

Town officials were scheduled to meet with BTI Friday to discuss the work

schedule and recent progress on the job. At that time, the town is likely to

hand over a check for more than $200,000, which BTI was supposed to receive

May 8.