Written by Tom Flanagan, Burlington School District Superintendent:
“…On the other hand, while digging up the foundation, we discovered additional sources of asbestos on the foundations of the old BHS/BTC campus. During demolition, we found that insulation had been glued to the inside of the foundation walls, which were buried underground. After we ripped the insulation off, we noticed big patches of glue left over on the wall. Our environmental consultants were immediately suspicious and decided to get these “glue daubs” tested. On the other side of the foundation, we discovered spray-on waterproofing material, which we also sent for tests. Tests for both materials came back positive for asbestos, meaning that EnviroVantage will have to follow asbestos remediation procedures on those pieces during the demolition and removal of these.
As you can imagine, slowing down to remediate the asbestos found in these additional materials will cost the project time and money. While we do not have specifics yet, we know this will impact both the project’s timeline and cost.
With that in mind, I am pushing EnviroVantage to get this work done as quickly as possible while being mindful of safety and environmental standards. We have also begun negotiations to extend the lease for DtBHS. And our team is working closely with Whiting-Turner to assess how the demolition delay will impact the construction timeline, while asking them to help find ways to make up time. We expect to provide the board and community with an updated project schedule in early September.
While this is disappointing, I have to say that I am not entirely surprised. A building as big, old, and toxic as this one is, is bound to have a few issues hiding. I want you to know that we are committed to moving forward as quickly as we can while remaining good financial stewards, and I appreciate your continued support of this project and our team…”-https://www.bsdvt.org/2023/07/21/bhs-btc-2025-update-july-21-2023-16m-victory-project-schedule-update/