Woodside Library
Jan. 30, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
The Woodside Library is set to reopen this Saturday after shutting down for several weeks due to emergency floor repairs and exposed asbestos tiles at the site.
The library at 54-22 Skillman Ave. will open on Feb. 3 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. after undergoing work to replace the asbestos floor tiles under the library’s carpeting. The tiles were inadvertently exposed after the carpet tiles above went through a cleaning early January.
Air quality tests taken at the library after the tiles were exposed came back with negative results with respect to asbestos. The library closed on Jan. 3, however, as a safety precaution.
Repair work began on Jan. 25, according to Queens Library spokesperson Elisabeth de Bourbon, after the library developed a time frame and cost estimate for the repairs. The repairs are expected to take a week to complete, and will be followed by a precautionary air quality testing, de Bourbon said.
The mobile library bus dispatched to Roosevelt Avenue near the Woodside Library since Jan. 17 will continue to provide library service on Wednesday, January 31 and Friday, February 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The repairs cost less than $10,000, the Queens Library said.
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NEW YORK — Seventeen city inspectors were arrested for allegedly exposing workers to a construction substance that can be deadly, and all for one motivation — cash.
“It’s about people putting their own financial gain ahead of the well-being and safety of New Yorkers,” said Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon.
After two years of ground work and undercover sting operations Thursday, the Department of Investigation released their report and 17 certified asbestos inspectors were arrested.
“The going rate is between $250 and $800 per inspect,” said Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark Peters. “So if you do what I think one person did, that’s a million dollars.”
They worked in Queens, Staten Island and Manhattan buildings, including a hotel. In some cases they conducted no asbestos inspections at all. Other times they concealed that asbestos had been found.
A certified asbestos investigator was in Nigeria when he said he was inspecting a property on staten island,” Peters said.
Now each of the defendants faces felony charges and prison.
The inspectors were often brought in to a construction site to check for existing asbestos during a key phase, right before a structure was torn down which could send asbestos into the air.
“It is dangerous when it’s dormant, but when it is in the air especially after demolition it is deadly it is toxic,” McMahon said.
After fake and forged inspections, the city says the risk of asbestos exposure was of greatest concern for the construction workers who were brought in to the site after being given a false all clear.
“You are essentially allowing all these people to walk into a dangerous situation,” Peters said. THIS WAS IN THE NEWS AND SHOULD BE POSTED AND NOT LEFT OUT —
Asbestos tiles like that don’t just launch asbestos into the air. You’ve got to drill, scrape and work ’em really hard to release it. I doubt there is any contamination. It’s an excess of caution, I’m guessing.
They were worn down from being under the carpet of many feet. Once the carpet was pulled up, the air had to have some asbestos particles.
Maybe you’re right, but I don’t think that’s how it works with tiles like that. I’m no expert, but we had an inspection at my workplace and the abatement people, in whose interests it would have been to push a job, were not fazed by the issues of wear and tear that were found.
How about putting up the Air quality Asbestos results from the library? Additionally, are we certain that the books, chairs and computers have been wiped down so they are safe as well.
Air quality results for asbestos were negative, yet they shut down the library. It was most likely positive but they can’t state that since then, parents, kids, and even the librarians may sue for damage to their health.
Nope, nothing is wrong here, but we’re gonna shut it down anyways. Ya know, just to be safe. *wink wink* 😉
Another indicator of asbestos: Librarians with husky voices