Last week, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued a warning letter to Mac and Liz Olsen, owners of Sweet Home Funeral Chapel, in response to demolishing their building without a proper asbestos inspection and abatement.
No further action will be taken, according to the DEQ.
The Olsens demolished portions of the funeral chapel with plans to rebuild. They completed an environmental assessment, but it did not include an asbestos survey by a certified inspector.
The building did have asbestos in it, said Dottie Boyd, a natural resources specialist and inspector in the Air Quality Asbestos Program with the DEQ.
The asbestos didn’t really become friable, which is when asbestos particles can become airborne, Boyd said. The building’s roofing material had small amounts in joints and seams, probably from a sealant or patching material. Floor tiles containing asbestos were still untouched by the time the DEQ stopped the demolition.
The warning outlines the violations, but the case will not be forwarded to the DEQ’s enforcement section, she said.
Mac Olsen said he is extremely relieved.
“The cleaning was much more than we wanted,” he said. “A fine would’ve just been icing on the cake.”
The warning outlines potential exposure, he said, but the exposure was never really an issue.
Boyd said the Olsens’ cooperation was key to getting the problem taken care of.
“The owners were really good about stopping, and they immediately hired an inspector,” Boyd said. “They were just really responsive, which is great because it gets dealt with.”
That type of material is supposed to be removed prior to demolition, she said. In its non-friable state, if it’s done right, following a certified inspection, anyone can do it. Friable asbestos-containing material must be removed by a licensed asbestos contractor.
The DEQ’s Web site outlines the process that needs to be followed when preparing to demolish a structure and deal with asbestos, Boyd said, and the DEQ can answer questions up front.
“I’d rather do the technical assistance first rather than do it on the other end,” she said. “We’ve done a lot of outreach to cities and counties to provide fact sheets.”
The chapel just passed its plumbing and form inspections, Olsen said. Concrete was poured Friday and walls are expected to go up on Wednesday, Olsen said.