Asbestos cleared at Civic Center

POTSDAM — A handful of asbestos abatement projects at the Potsdam Civic Center have been completed, according to Village Administrator Michael D. Weil.

Asbestos remediation in the civic center basement, upstairs courtroom and a front office was finished about a week ago, at a cost of about $50,000, Mr. Weil said.

He told trustees Monday that although there is no longer asbestos in the upstairs court, the room is still closed off because repair work must be done on the ceiling.

"It is not suitable to be used as a public facility. It is pretty unsightly," Mr. Weil said.

While asbestos removal was taking place in the civic center courtroom in recent months, weekly village court sessions have been held in the civic center board room on the building's first floor.

"The court is OK down here, but it's not the ideal place to be," Mr. Weil said.

He said the recent completion of asbestos work in parts of the civic center does not mean the entire structure is asbestos-free. He said there still is asbestos material in "various areas," including the basement.

The village has conducted a number of air quality tests, all of which have shown no asbestos fibers in the air.

The most recent round of testing took place last week, Mr. Weil said.

In a memo to employees, he said tests were conducted in the courtroom and the community development area and no signs of asbestos were found.

He said 109 samples were taken earlier this month, including background, environmental and transmission electron microscopy testing capable of specifically identifying asbestos fibers.

The village has undertaken asbestos remediation and abatement projects several times over the years going back to the early 1980s, according to records.

However, the village's most recent asbestos concerns surfaced earlier this year following the death of longtime civic center employee Sharon M. LaDuke. Ms. LaDuke died from mesothelioma, a rare cancer linked to asbestos inhalation.

Ms. LaDuke's family is now suing the village over what it considers to be her wrongful death resulting from an unsafe work environment.

In a related case, the village also is being sued by its former senior court clerk, Shelley A. Warner. Ms. Warner is alleging she was fired from her job because she publicly expressed concerns about asbestos and workplace safety at the civic center.

Village officials denied she was fired because she is a whistle-blower and instead said she was terminated for insubordination.