11/18/2008 - National Legal News

The Oneida County Office Building in Utica, New York was reopened Thursday after test results for the presence of asbestos in air samples taken from throughout the building came back negative.

The building was closed Wednesday after a maintenance crew found a substance resembling asbestos in the building’s basement during a regular cleanup. The building was closed at the time of the discovery due to the Veteran’s Day holiday; combined with the closure while testing was being performed, the building was closed for just under 48 hours.

The Oneida County Office Building was officially opened in 1970, a time when asbestos-containing materials were often used in construction as a matter of course, particularly in insulation and fireproofing materials. Approximate $5.5 million has already been spent to remove asbestos from three of the building’s ten floors; county officials estimate another $15.4 million worth of work will be required before work on the building is completed.

A spokesman for the United Public Service Employees Union, which represents Oneida County workers, stated that the union is having its own independent testing of the building performed. The results of the union’s testing are expected next week.