Notice of Abatement—Leggett Building Update, November 8, 2019

Subject: Notice of Abatement—Leggett Building Update

Hello All:

As many of you know from our previous Project Update Forums, before we can begin construction on the Leggett Building, the team will need to abate asbestos, from the Falcon Hall and Science South buildings, in accordance with the Clean Air Act. This message provides a few details on the process.

The presentation from the September 10 Project Update Forum included an overview of the abatement process.  Many of the questions raised at the Forum concerned the abatement process, and their responses can be found on the project website.

Montgomery College and the Barton Malow Company (BMC), the College’s construction manager are committed to managing the construction process that recognizes the residential location of the campus and in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations to ensure the safety of our campus and the neighborhood we share.

The College has successfully abated buildings on all our campuses including Pavilion Three and the Catherine F. Scott Commons Building on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus.

As required by law, BMC has notified the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) of the need to remove asbestos-containing materials.

This project will begin in the middle of November and take approximately four months to complete.

BMC hired a contractor licensed by MDE to remove the asbestos. The abatement will be supervised by BMC’s asbestos superintendent. A third-party industrial hygienist will perform baseline, control, and clearance monitoring for asbestos for the duration of the abatement work. The College’s environmental safety staff will provide oversight of this process, too.

Per MDE requirements, BMC will post notification signs three days prior to the actual start date at all entrances and exits of the buildings to inform the public that asbestos abatement is about to commence. The College, in addition to this message, will post abatement notices in other locations on and near campus including Belle Ziegler Park and the project web site.

The project will begin inside Falcon Hall and Science South. Both buildings will be placed under negative air pressure to ensure containment of the asbestos to protect workers, the campus and the neighborhood. The abatement contractor will control access to the buildings to secure the facility and allow access to only employees trained and skilled in appropriate abatement procedures. Asbestos material will be sprayed with water to limit dust, removed, bagged, sealed, and doubled bagged before removal from the building for disposal.

Once the interior work is complete, the contractor’s skilled technicians will move outside to remove asbestos-containing cement panels and window glazing. The regulated work areas will be marked off and secured. Each cement panel on the exterior walls will be carefully removed with their metal backing panels intact. The panels will be double wrapped, sealed and labeled for disposal.

All of the waste will be shipped to facilities permitted to accept and manage asbestos waste.

An independent industrial hygiene firm, as noted above, will monitor the project, conduct inspections and perform environmental sampling before, during, and after abatement work is complete. Specifically, this industrial hygienist will establish a protocol for air monitoring and observe the abatement process to ensure that all activities conform to MDE requirements. Regulated work areas will be restricted to only authorized personnel until final clearance sampling is complete. The contractor will perform personal breathing air sampling for the workers, as required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, with analysis by an independent laboratory.

Again, we are committed to accomplishing abatement to ensure the safety of our campus and the neighborhood we share. The College’s environmental safety staff will provide another layer of oversight to be doubly sure that all work is completed in accordance with state and federal regulations.

As I mentioned in a previous update, beginning the week of November 11, BMC will be on site to install fencing and an office trailer at the project site. The parking lots next to Falcon Hall and Science South will close for the duration of the project. Faculty and staff will park in the campus garages.

The project hotline number is 800-879-9879 and will be operational on November 11.

If you have any questions, please send an email to community@montgomerycollege.edu and we’ll get back to you.

Take care,

Dr. Brad Stewart
Vice President & Provost
Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus
Montgomery College
240-567-1312