County Officials in Miss. Facing Higher Costs to Remove Asbestos

The removal of asbestos from the Lafayette County, Miss., Courthouse is going to cost more than original $60,000 set aside for the work, local supervisors have been told.

“There was about 700-800 feet of floor tile where the asbestos was not visible during examination,” said Paul Waddell of Howorth and Associates, who are the architects on the project.

When Panola Construction began its demolition in May, it discovered asbestos throughout the building. Supervisors approved spending up to $60,000 to allow General Services Corp. to remove the material.

“I suggest you get the contractor in here as soon as possible,” board president Johnny Morgan told Waddell. “Have them set a price and if they are going over (the $60,000), I want to see some hard figures.”

In May, the board allowed Panola and GSC to keep working and then “bill” the county once workers could get to the asbestos and have a better idea of how much the job will cost.

Most of the asbestos has been removed, Waddell said.

The demolition is stalled until all the asbestos is removed.

“We are a little behind schedule,” Waddell said. “It’s hard to say. It’s not at a complete standstill but (Panola) really can’t get in there until it’s all gone.”

GSC must notify the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality when the work is complete, he said.

Information from: Oxford Eagle, http://www.oxfordeagle.com