The Cayuga County Office Building will remain closed until the end of August.
According to Legislature Chair Aileen McNabb-Coleman, on June 3, officials received an asbestos clearance report from an environmental testing firm after a granular material later determined to be vermiculite, a mineral that possibly contains asbestos, had been found on several windows in the building.
The county then sought guidance from the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA)/Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), the union representing nearly 300 county employees, on how to safely reopen the building for staff and the public. OSH’s response was that there needed to be a control mechanism in place to ensure further migration of the vermiculite did occur.
The county also reached out to an architecture and engineering firm and is working to secure a proposal to conduct a full assessment of the building and prepare a conditions analysis to identify ways to prevent this type of event from happening again.
McNabb-Coleman added that the decision has been made to keep the building closed until planned roof repairs can be completed, something estimated to be finished at the end of August.
It is believed that a combination of heavy rains and roof damage patterns led to the mineral making its way to the windows which led to the closure of the building last Wednesday.
A January windstorm had previously closed the offices, leading the legislature to fast-track planned renovations to the 58-year-old building.
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