Council committee reviews $743,000 stabilization plan for vacant municipal building after asbestos and mold findings

North College Hill City Council committee members and staff on May 12 reviewed a contractor estimate to stabilize the city’s vacant municipal building after prior environmental testing identified asbestos and mold.

Committee members and the city administrator described the work as an initial, phased stabilization: remediation of hazardous materials, removal of mold, and repairs to stop further water intrusion. The estimate on the table was roughly $743,000; roughly $480,000 of that sum had previously been encumbered to a vendor the administration had identified while the city secured a program of work, the administrator said.

The discussion focused on two questions: what “stabilize the building” legally and practically requires, and whether the council’s prior authorization had covered the broader scope now proposed. Several council members said their understanding of the earlier vote was narrower — to remove asbestos and mold and to allow people and groups to retrieve belongings — and they were not prepared to approve the larger package without additional review. Administration and other council members responded that stabilization, as defined by…