Planned Restoration of Lamar County, MS Courthouse to Require Asbestos Abatement

Renovation projects involving aging commercial and government buildings, including the Lamar County, MS Courthouse, require that asbestos testing be conducted prior to renovation or demolition. Asbestos is known to cause a number of serious illnesses many decades after exposure to the dangerous mineral.

Families affected by asbestos disease can obtain more information about their legal options to seek compensation for their loved one’s illness by completing the form on this page.

On February 1, 2010, the Hattisburg American reported on the current status of plans in Lamar County, Mississippi to renovate the County’s aging courthouse.

A historical group has toured the three-story building in order to submit a proposal with regard to whether any furniture, books, office equipment or light fixtures can be repurposed.

Before a renovation work plan can be developed and the project put out for bid, the County must first hire an asbestos contractor to perform asbestos abatement to remove the dangerous carcinogen (cancer-causing material) from the courthouse building. The costs to remove asbestos are anticipated to cost $40,000.

The estimated total cost of the courthouse renovation is $4 million. That estimate includes the $110,000 that has been spent on the project since 2006, the $275,000 that was budgeted for the fiscal year 2009-10, and a $200,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency grant the County will receive to cover 95 percent of the costs associated with new windows and weather-proofing.

The County has already had asbestos testing performed to determine the locations of asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in the building. Based on the results of the testing, the asbestos abatement project is scheduled to go out for bid in spring 2010, with the hope that the abatement will be complete within one to three months.

Asbestos Abatement Regulations
A number of federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), oversee and regulate the removal of asbestos at buildings scheduled for renovations or demolition.

The regulations that must be followed include provisions that:

Licensed asbestos contractors must be hired to oversee all asbestos removal and disposal;

All workers who perform asbestos abatement must be certified by the state to perform the asbestos removal;

Air quality testing is conducted during the abatement project to ensure that asbestos levels are within limits determined to be safe by the EPA:

Work areas are sealed so that asbestos dusts are not released into the area; and

All asbestos waste debris is properly bagged, labeled and transported to approved sites for

How Weitz & Luxenberg Can Help
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, we may be able to help you to seek justice for your illness and file a lawsuit on your behalf.

Please complete the form on this page for a free and confidential review of your potential asbestos lawsuit or request a free copy of our asbestos sourcebook. A Weitz & Luxenberg representative will contact you as soon as possible.