Moundsville, WV - The abatement of asbestos from a former factory has resumed after nearly an eight month hiatus.
The former home of the Fostoria Glass Factory, which shutdown for good in 1986, was purchased by the city of Moundsville several years ago. Since no activity was taking place on the property, city officials bought the property with the intention transforming it into something useful for the community by tearing down the factory and developing a retail site to take its place.
The project hit a snag when asbestos was discovered in multiple sections of the factory, which immediately halted all demolition work. Health and safety regulations are in place that prevent any demolition to be done on any asbestos-contaminated building because of the danger of asbestos fibers being released into the community. Asbestos, a material widely used in construction projects before the 1970s, is known to cause terminal diseases to people that have been exposed to it.
The city's contract with the site's developer had expired in December 2007, and asbestos didn't resume until the new contract was signed in August 2008. At the moment, the exterior of the building still remains the same, but City Manager Allen Hendershot said a lot of cleanup work is being done within the building. He also assures that the developer is working with the state Department of Environmental Protection to ensure the work is done according to safety regulations.
The site developer said the work involves removing asbestos-containing materials on the ground that had collapsed from roofing and insulation materials. Once that phase is done, asbestos in other parts of the building will have to be removed before demolition can finally resume.
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