..of price blamed on the cost of asbestos removal.
Wednesday, October 6th, 2010
The cost of rehabilitating Scranton, Pennsylvania’s State School for the Deaf campus is estimated somewhere between $25 million and $30 million. The high cost of ridding the campus of environmental problems and renovating select buildings is the reason why Marywood University agreed on a $500,000 sale price for the 10-acre property. The offer is based on the value of the underlying land, not the buildings.
Before any of the 19th century buildings can be demolished or rehabilitated, environmental cleanup work to deal with asbestos and lead paint is absolutely necessary. Asbestos is a toxic mineral that was used widely in construction during the 19th and 20th centuries before it was banned in the 1980’s. This carcinogen has been linked to such illnesses as asbestosis and mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining of the chest and abdominal cavities and the organs they contain.
Asbestosis is particularly dangerous when disturbed during construction, as asbestos-containing materials release toxic fibers that are easily inhaled and become lodged in the lungs. If the asbestos is not properly abated prior to demolition and renovation, both construction workers and future building staff will be at risk of contracting lung cancer or pleural mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs known as the pleura. Mesothelioma treatment may extend a patient’s life, but there is no cure for mesothelioma.
The state currently spends $1 million annually on security and maintenance for the campus. If the Marywood sale is finalized, the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, which currently resides on the campus, will move its Scranton operations to the Lourdesmont School in South Abington.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 6th, 2010 at 1:27 pm.
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