Plans for Colorado community center halted due to asbestos

Plans for Colorado community center halted due to asbestos
Plans for Colorado community center halted due to asbestos

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

Residents of Libertyville and Vernon Hills, Colorado, got together this week to discuss the future of the asbestos-ridden Brainerd Building, which has been closed for several years.

A local volunteer group has expressed interest in turning the building into a community center. However, asbestos abatement could cost approximately $350,000, with an additional $350,000 needed for demolition, according to the Daily Herald.

The group currently rents out Brainerd, which has remained closed due to safety issues, but has only raised $55,000. While they would have liked to put the money towards building the community center, most of it has funded maintenance and repairs and only $10,000 remains, reports the news outlet.

"We are simply moving forward with some advanced planning in the event that the building would come back to us," Superintendent Prentiss Lea told the Herald.

Control of the building could be back in the hands of the school board if the volunteer group is unable to raise enough money by December 2011.

Asbestos removal must be carried out by trained professionals, as it is an extremely hazardous substance that must be handled with care. If it becomes airborne, those who are exposed to the asbestos could develop serious respiratory illnesses later in life.
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Plans for Colorado community center halted due to asbestos