Asbestos problems and dilapidation force sale of hpd headquarters

HOUSTON, Texas â€" Houston’s 11 News has reported that the city plans to address asbestos problems and the overall poor condition of police properties by selling two buildings to developers. The television news station earlier in the week featured the poor conditions inside the Houston Police Department’s central police station and jail, and at HPD headquarters, where asbestos has been found. According to the news sources, the elevators in the buildings are so old that it is impossible to get replacement parts for repairs. Asbestos is also a pressing problem. The hazardous substance requires remediation, and is often an extremely costly procedure. Removing asbestos from public buildings must be done by a licensed contractor who is registered with the state. Depending on the extent of the work, removing or abating asbestos in a public building can run into hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. Removing or abating asbestos in public buildings also raises the risk of exposing workers, officers, staff and the public to dangerous asbestos fibers. Asbestos, harmless when it is contained in a material that fixes its fibers and prevents them from being released into the air, become a deadly carcinogen when the materials are damaged or disturbed. Asbestos fibers may be released as dust that is invisible to the naked eye, but may be inhaled or swallowed by anyone in the area. The end results of asbestos exposure can be devastating and deadly, and range from scarring of the lungs to mesothelioma, a rare cancer that affects the linings of the lungs, heart or abdominal cavity. Other health problems arising from asbestos exposure include persistent coughs, asbestosis, stomach and colorectal cancer and a number of other cancers. According to sources that are familiar with the situation at the Houston Police Department, the department is pursuing plans to sell the central HPD station and jail, and the police department buildings next door. The buildings sit on prime downtown Houston real estate. There are also plans to sell the HPD headquarters downtown to developers. The proceeds from the sale will fund the building of new police department facilities, which police administrators say the department sorely needs. The city is in negotiation with Page-Southerland-Page, an architectural firm that designed the Houston FBI field office, and Manhattan Construction, the company that is building the new Dallas Cowboys stadium. If the negotiations are approved by the city council, the city will pay $600,000 to the two companies to develop a request for proposal and an assessment of the buildings. The assessment will take about six months. The final offer from the two companies, if it comes, may include a condition that the city foot part of the bill for asbestos removal, a common condition in similar deals in other parts of the country. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)