City of Globe awarded $7,500 Brownfields grant for asbestos survey, subsequent removal

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has announced that a $7,500 Brownfields grant has been awarded to the City of Globe in order to conduct an asbestos survey on three of the city’s buildings.

Globe wishes to demolish the three buildings in order to construct a new library, according to the Arizona DEQ.

The city’s current municipal library, located in the 300 block of South Broad Street, is one of the three buildings under inspection. The Tee-Pee Building and Rogue’s Gallery are the other two buildings which will be surveyed.

The first phase of an environmental site assessment took place in October 2009–before the city’s purchase of the Tee-Pee Building and Rogue’s Gallery. The environmental site assessment concluded that a demolition asbestos survey should be conducted.

If the buildings are found contaminated with asbestos, contractors will need to be hired in order to safely remove the toxic material. If the public were exposed to airborne asbestos particles during the buildings’ demolition, they would be put at risk for contracting malignant mesothelioma–a rare and aggressive form of cancer which leaves patients with a disheartening prognosis.

Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Benjamin Grumbles, admires the city’s caution with regard to the toxic material, “We commend the City of Globe for taking action to redevelop safely and environmentally…Our Brownfields program is all about partnering with communities like Globe to identify and reduce environmental hazards and put properties like these to productive use again.”

A heightened awareness of mesothelioma information has caused cities such as Globe to take added caution when beginning projects where asbestos material may be disturbed.