An asbestos removal company has finished removing the hazardous material from the Kenai City Hall this week, before crews began replacing the aging roof. The same process will take place on Kenai’s Automated Flight Service Station.
Public Works Director Sean Wedemeyer says there is no danger to the public during this project.
Wedemeyer: “Had you seen them a couple days ago you would’ve seen [crews] in full Tyvec suits, respirators, and lots of plastic bags. It’s a special company that comes in, that’s their specialty, and they abate the asbestos problem. Now they’re done and gone and it’s just the roofing contractor.”
Asbestos is a group of compound minerals that poses a risk to people only if it is disturbed. If the material is disrupted, Asbestos releases tiny particles into the air which can be dangerous but when handled by professionals it can be disposed of safely.
Wedemeyer says the costs of this project were included in the Fiscal Year 2016 budget passed last year after the test for asbestos was completed. He added that the roofs are being replaced in part because of the asbestos but also because they were old and leaking.
The roof replacement on Kenai City Hall is expected to take around three weeks depending on weather.
After that first half of the project is completed, the same work by Alaska Abatement Corporation and Rainproof Roofing will take place at the Automated Flight Service Station.