GENEVA — The city’s planned purchase of an East Main Street property has run into a $12,000 glitch, City Manager Jim Pearson said.
The red brick building at 51 and 53 E. Main St., next to the former Annie’s Old World Pizza building, is plagued with asbestos, which will cost at least $12,000 to remove, he said.
City council is in the process of purchasing the property with the intention of razing the building. The new empty lot will help solve the city’s lack of off-street parking, Pearson said. The soon-to-be parking lot also would serve as a through-way to the parking spaces behind the East Main Street and North Broadway shops and restaurants.
The asbestos, which was found in the ceiling of 53 E. Main St., during a prepurchase inspection, is a serious concern, Pearson said.
The 53 E. Main St. portion occupies half of the 2,440-square-foot retail building.
Asbestos is a flame-resistant fibrous material commonly found in older buildings in roofing shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, paper and cement products, textiles, coatings and insulation. Asbestos also has been used extensively for acoustical and thermal insulation, fireproofing and in other building materials, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports.
Exposure to airborne asbestos may result in a potential health risk because asbestos fibers can be inhaled. Repeated exposure to these fibers can increase the number of fibers that remain in the lung. Fibers embedded in lung tissue over time can cause serious lung diseases, including asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma, the EPA reports.
Pearson said while the initial asbestos removal estimate of $30,000 gave him “sticker shock,” a second estimate of $12,000 is more realistic.
“Our structural inspection (of 51 E. Main St.) passed, along with the first asbestos inspection,” Pearson said. “However, the 53 E. Main St. testing indicated that the majority of the ceiling drywall will need to be abated.”
Pearson said the city will ask for a $12,000 reduction in the original purchase price of the property to reflect the cost of the asbestos removal.
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