MUNCIE, Ind. - The City of Muncie will spend $52,750 to remove asbestos from 15 houses and a church.
According to Beacon, Delaware County's GIS website, none of the properties are owned by the city. 10 are owned by private individuals, though only two are owner-occupied.
One house is owned by the Muncie Land Bank, an organization whose mission is “to acquire abandoned and blighted property, preserve it and provide it to the public for strategic redevelopment.”
The asbestos removal is “part of the City of Muncie’s larger project involving more than 40 houses scheduled for demolition,” according to Lonnie Ward of Air Management Techniques.
Air Management Techniques is an environmental consulting and remediation company that submitted bids to the city.
“As required by state and federal regulations, each structure must be inspected for asbestos and any identified materials must be abated prior to demolition,” Ward said.
Ward said there’s no signed contract or notice with the city to start work now.
During a Board of Public Works and Safety meeting on Nov. 12, board members Ted Baker, Lola Maurer and Linda Gregory unanimously voted to approve 15 bids for Air Management Techniques and one bid for Air Co.
When asked how the city chose the quotes, Baker, the board president, said they went with “the ones that were, on each of them, the lowest bid.”
Courtney, with the Muncie Building Commissoners Office, said the city contracted to demolish “houses that were unsafe and the property owners aren’t able to take care of them or aren’t willing to.”
The National Cancer Institute says that asbestos is a natural material that is resistant to heat, fire and chemicals. There are six types of asbestos. Asbestos is defined as a human carcinogen, a cancer-causing substance. The institute also notes that asbestos fibers can be inhaled and trapped in the lungs, which can lead to scarring and inflammation.
According to asbestos.com, from the late 1800s to the 1980s, asbestos was used in auto parts, building materials, cement, electrical parts and insulation. Companies used asbestos for its fibers, which are strong enough to be fireproof and resist heat and electricity.
In Indiana, asbestos disposal is regulated by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). An IDEM document says good condition floor tiles, asphalt-based siding and asphalt-based roofing materials “may be removed and sent to a permitted solid waste disposal site as solid waste.” However, the document also states that poor condition and friable materials “must be handled and disposed of as friable asbestos.” For those cases, IDEM instructs companies to “contact an asbestos compliance and enforcement manager at (800) 451-6027.”
Some community members are wondering why the city is paying for the remediations.
“Does Muncie own these properties? If not, why can't the owners pay for it?” asked Jeffrey Claborn.
“That cost should be on the owners, not the taxpayer,” Michelle Renee commented.
Kurt Smith says that, without a scope and a fee schedule, people don’t know if the bids are fair.
“If it is interior (insulation/popcorn ceiling/flooring) vs exterior (roofing/siding), it could be anywhere from $1,500-$10,000 per home,” Smith commented.
The City of Muncie has not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.