Islip Town Hall office asbestos removal project to start

The Town of Islip plans to spend $10,000 to remove asbestos-containing tiles from one of its offices in Town Hall West.

The tiles were found under carpeting in the Department of Environmental Control office in the municipal building at 401 Main St. in Islip, which also houses the sanitation department, town spokeswoman Caroline Smith said. A resolution authorizing the transfer to property repair from the town’s office equipment budget to cover the costs was passed unanimously at a recent town board meeting.

Enviroscience Consultants Inc. of Ronkonkoma has been hired to complete the work, which is to be undertaken on Thursday, Friday and Monday, Smith said. The allocated money will go toward environmental testing and tile removal.

The asbestos is not friable — crumbled or pulverized and easily inhaled — and no employees have been harmed, according to Smith.

Enviroscience president Glenn Neuschwender said the asbestos was found while contractors were renovating the space and noticed the tiles as they ripped up carpeting. Both Neuschwender and Smith said the presence of asbestos in those types of tiles such is common in older buildings.

Enviroscience will oversee and perform the asbestos abatement. The company has held several contracts with the town over the past two years for its work at Roberto Clemente Park in Brentwood, where just under 39,000 tons of contaminated debris was dumped.

The state Department of Labor, which oversees asbestos abatement projects, has been notified of the work, Neuschwender said. The project falls under a “large job” designation, according to state guidelines, because the area involved has 160 square feet or more, Neuschwender said.

Air monitoring will be conducted before, during and after the project to ensure there is no risk to workers or town employees, Neuschwender said. A decontamination chamber will also be used by workers to enter and leave the space safely.