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ALBANY, N.Y. (July 25, 2008)
-- As planned at the end of the 2007-08 school
year, Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and
Technology (TOAST) was closed to all staff and the public for the summer
in order for the
renovation work scheduled as part of the City School District of
Albany’s ongoing facilities project to take place. The planned work
included select asbestos abatement (for interior renovations and
exterior windows), replacement of the heating system, addition of air
conditioning, upgrades to the electrical and fire alarm system,
technology upgrades, increased handicap accessibility, window
replacement, painting and select interior renovation.
This followed other regularly scheduled parts of TOAST’s
renovation, including a complete roof replacement in the summer of 2005
and replacement and updating of the exterior drainage system in the
summer of 2007.
During the initial phase of this summer’s work, the
district's team
discovered the unexpected presence of asbestos in locations that had
been previously remediated during the late 1980s.
Asbestos fibers were discovered in some ceiling
locations, in a layer above the exposed ceiling. The fibers, part of the
building’s original construction in 1955, had been encapsulated by a
heavy paint layer and then covered by another layer of gypsum-based
“popcorn” material that constituted the visible ceiling. There was no
exposed asbestos.
Asbestos fibers, again from the building’s original
construction 53 years ago, also were discovered above each window. As
with the encapsulated fibers in the unexposed ceiling layers, these
fibers were encapsulated by the head of the window frame.
In both locations, the asbestos did not pose a health
risk. Air samples taken in multiple locations throughout the building
after these unanticipated locations were discovered showed no evidence
of airborne asbestos fibers above Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act
federal limits.
Asbestos is a mineral fiber that decades ago was added to
a variety of products to strengthen them and provide heat insulation and
fire resistance. Studies have shown that asbestos may lead to an
increased risk of lung cancer when breathed in high levels. It no longer
is acceptable to use in construction or insulation materials in New York
State.
Because of health concerns associated with asbestos, the
facilities team, in consultation with the New York State Department of
Labor, determined that the safest course of action was to immediately
suspend the renovation project pending further review.
In addition, in the best interest of the health and
well-being of our students, staff, families and community, and without
awaiting a directive from the Department of Labor about whether TOAST
would be able to be occupied for 2008-09, the district has made the
decision to relocate the entire TOAST school for the full 2008-09 school
year.
The best available location to keep the TOAST school
community together for the entire school year is the district’s swing
space at the former Philip Schuyler Elementary School at 141 Western Ave.
This facility, home to William S. Hackett Middle School from January
2007 through the end of last school year, already has been scheduled as
the temporary home for Arbor Hill Elementary School in 2008-09 while
that school facility is being renovated.
TOAST and Arbor Hill Elementary will share Schuyler
Elementary for the school year. The facility, which originally served as
Albany High School from 1913-74, can accommodate approximately 830
students. This was its approximate enrollment when it served as Schuyler
Elementary School before the construction of Schuyler Achievement
Academy and Sheridan Preparatory Academy earlier this decade.
Please know that health and safety is a district
priority. Although the district regrets the inconvenience that will be caused by
these circumstances that are beyond our control, we believe we are
making the best decision to ensure the welfare of every member of the
TOAST school community while the asbestos remediation is done in a
thorough and complete way. We will ensure that the high-quality academic
and extracurricular programs you have come to expect from your school
will be duplicated in this temporary location.
In addition to complete asbestos abatement, this path
also will allow us to finish the full renovation of TOAST so that all
facilities work will be completed and the school will be ready for its
scheduled grand re-opening and the resumption of business as usual at
the start of the 2009-10 school year.
We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we work
together through this obstacle.
The City School
District of Albany serves approximately 8,600 students in 18
elementary, middle and high schools. In addition to neighborhood
schools, the district includes several
magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic
opportunities for students. The
district is more than halfway through its comprehensive facilities
project to newly build and/or renovate nearly all of its elementary
and middle schools. The ultimate goal of the facilities project is
to provide schools with the resources necessary to help students
succeed in the 21st century.
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