Asbestos is always a factor when renovating an old building, and the Carnegie Library building in Rockwell City, Iowa, is no exception. After gaining access to the building, The Carnegie Project board worked with an area asbestos removal company, August Enterprises, LLC, to identify and test sources of asbestos inside and outside the building, and estimate the cost to remove and dispose of those sources. We also worked with ATC Group Services for a Phase I Environmental Assessment to ensure there weren’t any hidden environmental issues with the property.
The total for the environmental assessment and asbestos inspection, testing, and remediation was nearly $7,000.
As a non-profit, The Carnegie Project was able to work with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and their Brownfield program for assistance in paying for the asbestos inspection, the Phase I Environmental Assessment, and some of the asbestos removal costs.
The asbestos remediation took place in May 2020, with removal of a variety of contaminated items, including linoleum, tile adhesive, caulking, and boiler pipe insulation. Thanks to donations by board members and other early donors to The Carnegie Project, we were able to cover our out-of-pocket expenses of around $2,500.
The wrapping on these boiler pipes definitely contained asbestos and needed to be professionally remediated.
This old linoleum – while it may look cool and very "retro" – had high levels of asbestos in it and had to be professionally remediated.
