Asbestos abatement underway, clears way for mandated electrical upgrades

East Adams Rural Hospital began removing asbestos from the boiler room and crawl space running underneath the hospital on April 2. The asbestos abatement project keeps all of the asbestos in a self-contained area, limiting the potential exposure.

The crawl space is having the asbestos removed in order to allow electricians to safely work in the area during a future electrical project. The boiler room is having one boiler removed and asbestos from pipes in the boiler room.

Asbestos was used throughout the hospital when it was constructed 60 years ago. The construction material, a collection of silicate minerals, was common in the construction industry until it was determined to cause illnesses.

The removal project began after a survey and inspection by the Department of Health and the fire marshal during the month of November. The inspection found that the hospital building is not up to code with the electrical panels.

The inspections followed the discovery that one of the hospital’s two boilers was unsafe for use. As a result the district had to rent a portable boiler, which has been stationed outside the building all winter at a cost of about $4,000 per month.

The discovery of the failing boiler and installation of the rental unit triggered the state inspection processes, which led to the discovery of a deficiency in the building’s electrical system. The emergency electrical system, responsible for providing power to critical elements in the hospital during a power outage, must be upgraded including the generator.

In order to proceed with any of the state’s prescribed upgrades, the district was faced with dealing with some of the building’s asbestos.

“The big challenge is that we couldn’t work in the crawl space,” said Interim Administrator Gary Peck. “In order to work, we had to get rid of all of the asbestos. It’s all part of the process; mitigation would’ve been done eventually.”

The workers completing the asbestos abatement enter the sealed off areas in the morning, only exiting the area for lunch and at the end of the workday. The workspace is complete with High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, has a barrier placed over the entrance points when workers leave and has negative airspace to contain the asbestos, which meets the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards.

The expected cost of the asbestos abatement project is $68,000, excluding taxes. The project is expected to take two or three weeks and should conclude by April 20.

“Even though it is a cost, the district has a responsibility to mitigate the asbestos,” said Peck.

The crawl space runs underneath about 60-70 percent of the hospital and the removal of the asbestos in the area eliminates the exposure risk. There is still asbestos in other portions of the hospital, but is self-contained and is not a current risk.

After the asbestos abatement is finished, the electrical portion of the project begins. The process should begin in May when bids go out, but the actual project should begin in late fall.

Electricians have to separate the electrical panels to meet the code requirements and be split into three categories: critical, equipment and safety. The expected cost for the electrical renovations is $125-150,000, without any complications or additional expansion.

The district was originally told it could expect the electrical upgrades to cost between $425,000 and $500,000. Once Peck came on as the interim administrator, he looked for options.

He brought in facilities experts from the Spokane area to confirm the initial reports. What was learned, was that the compliance upgrades could be accomplished at a substantially lower cost.

Additionally Peck is working to make sure any major mechanical equipment that is purchased can be used in the existing facility or in a new facility should a decision be made to construct a new hospital in the coming years. For instance, the district will likely purchase a replacement boiler that can function using hot water heat or steam heat, which will provide options in the future.

The hospital has two other projects to complete to be up to code with state hospital requirements. Those projects are installing a medical gas alarm system and a fire sprinkler system. There currently is not an expected start date for those projects.

Faced with an aging building, one that was likely intended to last for a maximum of 50 years (it’s 60 years old now), Peck said the community needs to have an opportunity to become informed about the condition of the building.

He and the commissioners are developing a plan for a workshop/town hall meeting with the public in May. The preliminary plan is for a meeting that will span about three hours. A facilitator will be brought in to conduct the meeting. The community will have a chance to be informed about the physical condition of the hospital, the districts financial picture and what options are available. The public will be asked at that time if they would support construction of a new facility or renovation of the existing hospital.

The date of the town hall meeting has not yet been established.