Asbestos found at Healy School site

The state Department of Environmental Protection issued a cease and desist order to Spindle City Homes and Miranda Construction Co.

FALL RIVER – Demolition work at the former Healy School, 726 Hicks St., was stopped and the contractor ordered to clean up asbestos dust scattered in the debris.

The state Department of Environmental Protection issued a cease and desist order to Spindle City Homes and Miranda Construction Co.

“MassDEP is issuing this UAO (unilateral administrative order) to you based on its observation made during a site inspection conducted on June 5, 2018, which identified that dry asbestos-containing material was present in demolition debris samples collected by MassDEP,” the order reads.

Spindle City and Miranda Construction were also ordered to wet down and cover debris piles on the site and to hire a licensed asbestos abatement company to clean the site and dispose of the debris.

The demolition was described by MassDEP as 90 percent complete. The brick school, built in 1897, is almost entirely gone except for the smokestack that remains standing. There are piles of broken lumber and brick in one corner of the site. Stacks of intact lumber, thick rafters and floor joists of pine and oak, are stacked near the street. There are also piles of granite slabs and a trailer stacked with slate shingles.

The property was last used as a school in 2008. It was sold four years ago.

The school and one acre of land is owned by Spindle City Homes. Eric J. Resendes is president. He could not be reached for comment on Friday. He has permission to build six single family homes on the land.

The site must also be made secure with warning signs, announcing the presence of asbestos.

That initial work must be done by June 22 unless the companies appeal the order by that date. Failing to comply can result in fines of up to $25,000 a day. Penalties also include a year in jail for company principals, according to the DEP order.

Work at the site began on June 1 and was ordered stopped on June 5.

“The contractor was making a big mess,” said Michael Rebello, who lives across the street from the school. “There were clouds of dust. None of his guys wore protective equipment.

“The dust clouds went up as high as the chimney.”

The dust didn’t travel far, according to Jay Moniz, who lives just north of the school site on Penn Street.

“Other than the noise, it wasn’t a problem,” he said. “I didn’t notice the dust. Of course, spring this year was bad with pollen, so maybe I didn’t know if it was pollen or dust.”

The only worker at the site Friday was one man taking away a crane.

City officials were also notified of the order. Glenn Hathaway, the city’s director of inspectional services, said his department follows the lead of the MassDEP when asbestos is discovered.

“The requirements are rather restrictive,” he said. “First you determine if there was asbestos, then you develop a protocol to handle it.”

There are companies, known as asbestos hygienists, which specialize in cleaning properties that have been contaminated with asbestos dust.

Long term exposure to asbestos dust has been found to cause lung problems and can lead to cancer.

Email Kevin P. O’Connor at koconnor@heraldnews.com.