Asbestos Removal Contracts Approved in Rochester, NY

In May 2009, the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) announced it had approved the contracts to remove asbestos at the Midtown Plaza site in Rochester, NY. ESDC granted $55 million for the air testing and asbestos abatement removal project.

The asbestos remediation work is scheduled to begin in summer 2009, and is expected to take 14 months to complete.

Midtown Plaza, which was opened in 1962, was the first indoor shopping mall in the United States. As with other areas of the U.S., indoor shopping malls have faced significant competition from mega-shopping centers, specialty malls and large national discount retailers. After the closure of two of the mall’s anchor retailers, the facility was closed in 2008.

After the completion of asbestos remediation, the property will serve as the new corporate headquarters for the telecommunications company PAETEC.

Exposure to asbestos is known to cause serious illnesses such as mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer or asbestosis.