Asbestos found in building that will house school offices

BRISTOL, Va. – A vacant warehouse building appears structurally sound but needs some asbestos abatement before it can be converted into a school administration building.

A 2004 report from the engineering firm S&ME identifies asbestos in two principle areas inside the city-owned former Bristol Builder’s Supply-Central Warehouse at 220 Lee St.

Asbestos also was found within the roofing material.

A 2010 evaluation by Draper Aden Associates didn’t reveal any additional asbestos issues.

Last week, the city School Board accepted a city offer to acquire the two-story, nearly 39,000-square-foot building at no cost and convert a portion for its administrative offices.

“The asbestos is exactly what you would expect to find in this type of building and construction of that era,” Andrew Trivette, the city’s planning and development director, said referring to the report. “Inside, it’s confined to the two office spaces. There is none [asbestos] in the warehouse [space].”

Before offices were installed, the building provided storage space for businesses that needed access to the railroad spur that runs along its back wall.

Asbestos was found in floor and ceiling tiles in separate office spaces at opposite ends of the brick building, according to the report. It also is contained within sheetrock, plaster, roofing materials and flashing around the roof.

School officials learned about the asbestos in May while negotiating with the city, board Chairwoman Virginia Goodson said.

“We consulted with our architect, Mr. Don Solt, who wrote a letter to the board saying removing this asbestos would not be cost-prohibitive,” Goodson said. “That seemed to address the concerns of the board.”

City Manager Dewey Cashwell first offered the warehouse building in March, after learning school leaders were negotiating a possible lease-purchase of the former Piggly Wiggly grocery store building on Euclid Avenue.

They’ve been searching for a new central office for years because the current Oak Street facility doesn’t meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards. Solt told city leaders earlier this year that renovating the Oak Street building properly would be expensive and nearly impossible.

While the city would give the warehouse building to the school system, renovation costs are expected to be about $2.5 million, according to an architect’s preliminary estimate. Equipment, furnishings and other costs are forecast to tack on an additional $400,000.

In May, the City Council agreed to borrow $3 million in qualified school construction bonds – a type of federal stimulus funding administered through the state that features interest-free loans – for the project.

School officials also have set aside $500,000 in savings to be dedicated to the renovation plan.

While the board voted 4-0 to accept the city’s offer, board member Eric Clark – who left before that vote for personal reasons – remains unconvinced.

“I told them [board] all along there was asbestos in that building,” Clark said Friday. “And I’ve said all along there is no way that $2.9 million figure will touch it. That’s more like a $3.5 or $4 million project. The city just wanted to get rid of an eyesore and they gave it to us.”

Clark also dislikes how city officials would only apply for the interest-free funding for the warehouse, not another building.

“The city manager and City Council made them [board] take a building that was a pig in a poke,” Clark said. “The City Council and city manager strong-armed them – I didn’t vote for it.”

Mayor Jim Rector has continually said the warehouse was a better option because it is downtown, near City Hall and already off city tax rolls, while the still-empty, former Piggly Wiggly grocery store generates tax revenues.

In a January 2010 letter to Trivette, city building official Scott Bowen identified some additional issues with the warehouse.

“The building appeared to be in overall good condition, with the exception of water damage to a portion of the rear upper-level warehouse area floor decking,” Bowen wrote. “The water appears to be a result of roof leakage and possibly a guttering issue. The damaged area is confined to an approximately 10-foot-wide section that extends seven feet into the building floor.”

In addition, “several” wood support columns in the warehouse section are off center of their concrete pier footings, Bowen wrote.

“It would be advisable to have the damaged columns analyzed by a structural engineer to verify their safety,” Bowen wrote.

Much of the building would have to receive new electrical wiring to comply with current electrical code requirements, Bowen wrote.

On Friday, Trivette pointed out areas where asbestos was found during a walkthrough of the building with the Bristol Herald Courier.

The city’s personnel department formerly occupied the now decaying office spaces along Lee Street. City police have used the building for tactical training and it now contains a flea market-like mix of recovered bicycles, old furniture, broken equipment and derelict, apparently lifeless computers. Some broken windows have made the space a haven for birds.

Much of the building features exposed “heavy timber” construction and it already contains two “dry pipe” sprinkler systems and an elevator shaft.

dmcgee@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2532