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Bluff council approves asbestos testing at Cooperative Cultural Center as staff pursues grant reallocation
Summary
Council authorized asbestos testing at the Cooperative Cultural Center after staff reported remaining suspect materials and proposed using grant reallocation and other funding sources for mitigation. Motion passed unanimously.
Councilmember Malia Collins briefed the Bluff Town Council on next steps for asbestos management at the Cooperative Cultural Center (CCC), describing two untested areas — the mechanical-room ceiling and the undercoating beneath sinks — and recommending testing and a mitigation plan.
Collins said the town is working with the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO) to reallocate grant funds so work can proceed this year and to position the project for additional funding next summer. She also mentioned the town is hopeful that a pending EPA action could return some funds that would help reimburse mitigation work; staff will also explore possible USDA funding for mitigation.
Collins recommended engaging the asbestos tester who previously sampled the building to conduct additional tests and bring a mitigation contractor for planning. “I would say testing is probably gonna be maybe less than $5 [thousand] because what we paid was, like, 3,” Collins said, and she cautioned that final mitigation cost estimates will depend on testing results.
Council discussed staging the work (testing first, then mitigation once scope is known) and agreed that testing could proceed while staff pursues grant reallocation. A motion to approve asbestos testing at the CCC as presented was made, seconded, and approved by unanimous voice vote.
Council asked staff to continue looking for grant options and to return with cost estimates and a mitigation plan once testing results are available. The motion approved testing only; no binding appropriation for mitigation was authorized at the meeting.
