Sugar land developers give community asbestos update

SUGAR LAND, Texas â€" The developers for a new community project in Sugar Land explained their plans for asbestos remediation to a large audience at the Fluor Auditorium last night. Greg Rainwater of ENTACT Environmental Remediation Services spoke about the asbestos plans and Timothy W. Downey explained his company’s plan to build “Norman Rockwell” neighborhoods. Sugar Land, a suburb of the Dallas/Fort Worth area, grew up around the Imperial Sugar Company, and was for decades a company-owned town. In recent years, various development companies have built the small town into a major metropolitan suburb with the fastest growing population in Texas. The current project is the redevelopment of several refinery facilities left from the days when the town revolved around Imperial Sugar. Southern Land Company, the development company headed up by Downey, plans to build homes and neighborhoods in the area north of the refinery. In his words, the neighborhood will be like “reliving the Norman Rockwell experience”. Rainwater explained to a large crowd gathered to hear the plans for the new neighborhoods that some of the older refinery buildings have asbestos. In order to renovate the buildings, the asbestos must be either removed or managed. If the buildings are going to be demolished, the asbestos must be removed before demolition. According to Rainwater, most of the asbestos in the buildings to be renovated and demolished is contained in pipe insulation and floor coverings, mastic and ceiling tiles. More than half of it is in three buildings. The reason for the community briefing was to explain the process of asbestos abatement and removal to the community prior to beginning work, and to respond to any concerns from community residents. The community planners expect to begin work in March. Rainwater explained that residents will see workers in protective clothing and respirators during the work to be done. They will be working Mondays through Saturdays from 7 am to 6 pm from March through August. The contractor that will complete the work has not yet been chosen. Bids are due February 12 and the district board will make a final selection late in Feburary. Rainwater added that Cherokee Sugar Land Management, the developer on the project, is committed to a 100% abatement of asbestos on the site. Asbestos is a known carcinogen that can be released when materials that contain it are broken or damaged. Federal regulations require that all asbestos be removed from buildings before they are demolished to prevent the release of deadly asbestos fibers into the ambient air. Federal law also requires that community officials be notified before abatement or removal work is done, and in many cases, require that community residents be notified of the work to be done and any precautions that they should take during the work. Asbestos fibers in the air can be inhaled and lodge in the lungs or other organs, causing mesothelioma decades later. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)