Known history of the Property dates to at least 1884 when the Property appeared to have been used residentially. In the 1940s, it was developed as a public school, which reportedly closed in the 1990s. There had been some reported intermittent use in the early 1990s, but the Site has largely sat vacant since its closure and has been entirely vacant since the 2000s. Use of the Property before 1884 is unknown.
The building is four stories, has a partial basement (which was flooded and inaccessible during the Site reconnaissance), and is comprised of brick and block construction in poor condition. The structure has a general school layout and encompasses almost the entire parcel. The Property is currently unused but is improved with out-of-service utilities (gas, water, sewage, electric). The building was heated with a boiler system. Broken windows, brick debris, water intrusion, collapsing ceilings, peeling paint, aged fluorescent light tubes/ballasts, and mold growth were all observed.
"Asbestos-Containing Materials Survey"; the "Lead Hazardous Waste Characterization of Finished Architectural Components" Report; and the "Polychlorinated-Biphenyls (PCBs), Mercury, Petroleum, & Hazardous Materials Screen" Reports were completed in March 2022. Findings from the reports include:
Asbestos Results
On February 16, February 17, and March 3, 2022, BEC performed testing for asbestos-containing materials (ACM) at the Property. BEC visually observed the structure to evaluate materials for ACM. Bulk samples of potential ACM materials were obtained, containerized, logged, and submitted to Eurofins CEI of North Carolina for asbestos content analysis. A total of 103 samples were collected, on which laboratory analysis revealed a total of 158 individual analyses were required due to multiple layered bulk samples were analyzed. No samples were collected in the subbasement, which was flooded and inaccessible.
Materials containing more than 1% asbestos by laboratory analysis include air-cell pipe insulation, pipe wrap, 9" by 9" floor tiles, vinyl stair treads, rooftop end-cap mastic and curb flashing, vinyl cove base, 12" by 12" vinyl floor tile and its associated mastic, and door masonry sealant.
Lead Hazardous Waste Characterization Results
On February 16, 2022, BEC conducted sampling for Toxic Characteristic Leachate Procedure (TCLP) testing on representative architectural building components, to evaluate if typical demolition waste would be considered as hazardous waste based upon lead content. Bulk samples of both painted materials and unpainted building components were collected to form one composite sample, which was sent the sample to SanAir Technologies Laboratory, Inc. of Powhatan, Virginia for analysis.
BEC concluded that the architectural building component waste stream does not meet the definition of lead hazardous waste and may undergo disposal as general construction debris and/or recycling.
BEC conducted a screen for the presence of dielectric fluid storage vessels (e.g., contact switches, ballast, etc.), electrical lighting fixtures, fluorescent light tubes (lamps), mercury, petroleum products, refrigerant gas, hydraulic fluids, and any other miscellaneous supplies that may contain hazardous materials that require proper removal and disposal prior to or during the renovation of the structure. The survey was conducted on December 20, 2021.
BEC presumed that ballasts which were missing labels, or not labeled as "Non-PCB Containing" contained PCBs. There were 517 ballasts and one old transformer identified as presumed to be PCB-containing.
Fluorescent lamp light tubes throughout the subject Site (1,004 tubes surveyed) were labeled by their manufacturer as containing low-pressure mercury and/or phosphorus vapors. These fluorescent light tubes, light bulbs (29 surveyed), and incandescent bulbs (18 surveyed) are presumed to contain mercury vapors.
Chemical products surveyed on Site included lead acid batteries, paint, dete