Ed Padron with Professional Consulting and Development of Knoxville was back at the Greene County Courthouse today, sampling the building for asbestos levels.
Padron said “we are collecting some samples to see if and how much if it’s there asbestos is in the area in this building. From the looks of it, this building is in great shape, it’s tired, but the finishes are in good shape, especially those that contain asbestos. So I don’t expect anything sensational here. If it’s there, it’s there and we’ll see at what level. But these are well established levels by Osha and EPA that will be comparing their results.”
Padron had said during a courthouse meeting last Thursday he wanted to test the building during normal business hours. With two court rooms in session and other day to day activities underway today, Padron was able to get updated readings. He will present the findings to the courthouse committee when it meets again next week.
As we reported last week, renovating the plumbing inside the 100+ year old building rather than constructing one outside the building would obviously create challenges for office holders and the public as it pertains to availability and convenience. But it appeared to be a plan office holders were more in favor of working together on.
Architect Dave Wright projects the redo of 12 of the 14 bathrooms in the courthouse would take about a year to a year and a half to complete. Two other bathrooms in the upper floor will not be renovated.
The results of the Tuesday samples should be known by the time the group meets again May 1st.
