Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health Exposure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
West Haven resident alleges asbestos exposure, faults city oversight
Summary
Michelle Scalpi told the City Council she and others were exposed to asbestos during a 2024 roof replacement she says proceeded without permits, inspections or containment and that city officials failed to act; she said records show a mayoral directive cut off communication with her. Council did not respond substantively at the meeting.
Michelle Scalpi, a West Haven resident, told the City Council during public comment that a 1969 flat roof on her commercial building was removed without required permits, asbestos testing or containment measures and that city oversight “did nothing.” She said the roofer, Quality Roofing of West Haven, took down the roof with workers wearing no personal protective equipment, and she accused the city building official — whom she named as Lloyd Adams — of obstructing asbestos sampling by a consultant and of ignoring state health-department guidance.
"There was no roofing permit, no asbestos inspection, no abatement, no containment, no air testing," Scalpi said during a long public-comment period. "That is reckless endangerment." She also said a public record shows a mayoral directive from 04/11/2024 instructing the West Haven Health Department not to communicate with the tenant, which she tied to the cessation of follow-up and oversight.
Scalpi described health impacts she attributes to the exposure, saying a family member who worked in the building developed a rare cancer and later a second cancer she characterized as "a hallmark signature of asbestos." She said people continue to work in the building and receive no warnings or relocations.
At the meeting the chair interrupted Scalpi for exceeding the three-minute public-comment allowance and briefly recessed the session; no sustained response from the mayor or other city officials to her allegations was recorded in the meeting minutes or on the council floor during the rest of the agenda. The record shows the council resumed its agenda after a recess and proceeded to committee business.
Scalpi's assertions are allegations recorded in public comment; the council did not take formal action in the meeting record to investigate or adjudicate those claims. The city did note in committee and council discussion other items on the agenda, but no explanatory or corrective statement from the mayor's office or department leadership appears in the meeting transcript. Any factual or legal questions raised by Scalpi (for example, on whether permits were issued or whether the health department followed statutory notice procedures) would require city records review or statements from responsible agencies to confirm or dispute.
The council did not vote or direct staff on this matter at the meeting; follow-up options available under municipal practice include a request to the relevant department for records, a referral to a council committee for inquiry, or a request for a staff report at a future meeting. The meeting transcript records Scalpi's statements but not a council action in response.
