Waverly, NY Approves Funding to Renovate Former School Building: Over $50,000 Allocated for Asbestos Removal

Plans to convert former school building to serve as Waverly Village Hall will require significant renovations, including asbestos abatement, which must be conducted before any other renovations can begin.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos disease, you can complete the form on this page to obtain more information about your legal rights.

In February 2010, the Board of Trustees for the Village of Waverly voted to approve initial bids to fund the renovation of the former Ithaca Street School. Once renovations are complete, the building will serve as the Village Hall.

Funding for Renovations
The Board announced they had approved base bids totaling $1.6 million dollars. Almost $900,000 will be allocated for general construction, with approximately $430,000 is allocated for electrical and plumbing improvements and an additional $379,000 was bid for heating and ventilation. The anticipated costs for asbestos abatement are $51,000.

Asbestos Risks in Older Buildings
The former school building, which had been closed to students for approximately 30 years, was built in an era when asbestos products were commonly used in construction. The asbestos products typically used in school buildings included:

Asbestos insulation in the boiler rooms, heating pipes that traveled through the school classrooms, hallways and other common area;

Asbestos mastic glues, which were used to apply tile and linoleum flooring;

Asbestos-containing tiles used on the walls and floors in school cafeterias, bathrooms and gyms;

Asbestos plaster was routinely applied to the walls in both classrooms and hallways; and

Asbestos insulation used in roofing materials and indoor ceiling tiles.

Asbestos Health Risks
Those who are exposed to asbestos face a lifetime risk of developing a number of lung diseases, as the time between exposure to the dangerous carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) and when symptoms of an asbestos disease can be 30-40 or more years long. Inhaled asbestos fibers can cause the lungs to scar, causing serious illnesses such as asbestosis, emphysema, pleural plaques disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In more serious cases, asbestos-damaged lungs will begin to produce the abnormal cells which cause mesothelioma or asbestos lung cancer tumors to develop.

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.