- Courtesy of Burlington School District
- Demolition at Burlington High School
While demolishing the old high school to make room for a new one, workers recently uncovered asbestos in the underground portion of the building's foundation. Remediating the toxin will add a yet-to-be-determined amount of time and money to the construction project, according to school district officials.
Voters approved a $165 million bond to fund the project, and school officials initially estimated the new building could open in August 2025. But previous delays have already altered the timeline. The district is now negotiating to extend its lease at the former Macy's department store building downtown, where high school students have been attending class for more than two years.
In a July 21 community update, Superintendent Tom Flanagan wrote that the asbestos was found in so-called "glue daubs" — patches where insulation was affixed to the buried portion of the building's foundation. Asbestos, a group of mineral fibers that can lead to health problems such as lung cancer and mesothelioma if inhaled, was also detected in spray-on waterproofing material on the underground foundation.
Asbestos has only been found in two of the high school's six buildings so far, but it's likely in more of them, Flanagan said in an interview on Monday. Some asbestos removal was already built into the project, he added, but contractors did not anticipate that the material would have to be removed from the foundation.
The unwelcome discovery means that the district's contractor, EnviroVantage, will have to follow asbestos remediation procedures, as required by both the state and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Flanagan said on Monday that he is anticipating the price tag for asbestos remediation will be in the "low millions," though the full scope of the contamination is not yet known. Officials will provide an update to the school board and community in early September.
"While this is disappointing, I have to say that I am not entirely surprised," Flanagan wrote in his message to the community. "A building as big, old, and toxic as this one is, is bound to have a few issues hiding."
Burlington High School students will continue to learn at the Cherry Street building that was turned into a downtown campus. High levels of airborne PCBs forced the district to close the Institute Road school after the chemicals were discovered in the fall of 2020.
- File: Daria Bishop
- Burlington High School before demolition
The delay, officials said at the time, was due primarily to a legal motion brought by PCB manufacturer Monsanto requesting a postponement of the demolition until the company could fully inspect the premises. In October, two former Burlington High School teachers filed a lawsuit against the agrochemical company over workplace exposure to PCBs that they said led to major health problems. Several months later, the school district filed its own lawsuit against Monsanto over PCB contamination of the high school.
Flanagan said on Monday that the asbestos issue might push the occupancy timeline further down the road.
The district's current lease for the Cherry Street "school" expires in June 2024. Flanagan said the district is currently working on an extension with the building's owners — Dave Farrington, Al Senecal, Scott Ireland and Don Sinex — and that those negotiations are going well.
The district's current lease for the Cherry Street "school" expires in June 2024. Flanagan said the district is currently working on an extension with the building's owners — Dave Farrington, Al Senecal, Scott Ireland and Don Sinex — and that those negotiations are going well.
It's not all bad news for the district. In his community update, Flanagan celebrated the fact that the district will get $16 million from the state to pay for PCB remediation at the old high school.
Though the funds will have to be returned if the district recovers money from its lawsuit against Monsanto, Flanagan hailed it as "a great victory for our community" that will "greatly reduce the cost of the project to Burlington taxpayers."
Though the funds will have to be returned if the district recovers money from its lawsuit against Monsanto, Flanagan hailed it as "a great victory for our community" that will "greatly reduce the cost of the project to Burlington taxpayers."
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