Asbestos Mitigation Will Be Needed On Old Museum Building

Hopes that the current roof on the old museum building on the Courthouse Square might not contain asbestos have been dashed.

A roofing contractor had told Ste. Genevieve County commissioners he believed the shingles were not slate — which usually contains asbestos — but cement.

Tim Pekios of Midwest Environmental  picked up and tested a sample of the tile from the old museum building roof that had fallen off. He reported last week that it contains 20 percent asbestos.

The commission agreed to pay $2,250 for asbestos mitigation. It was agreed that whoever wins the roofing bid would likely have added at least that much for taking care of the asbestos, as a certified asbestos firm would dispose of it properly.

Advertising for roofing bids was expected to run in this week’s edition of the Herald.

Presiding Commissioner Garry Nelson reported that work on the drop ceiling in the 1933 building was wrapping up and that plaster work on the walls could begin at any time. The building is being renovated for use as a gallery and art center for the Ste. Genevieve Art Guild.

See complete County Commission coverage in the January 15 edition of the Herald.