Columbia County will dip into its capital improvements fund to pay for an asbestos removal project in the courthouse hallways that, according to the county's building and grounds director, must start as soon as possible.

Building and Grounds Director Cory Wiegel told the county's finance committee Thursday that the approximately $74,000 project can't wait until the next fiscal year. That's because county maintenance employees often need access to the pipes, wires and ducts concealed by the hallway ceiling tiles on all three levels of the courthouse - and those tiles contain friable (powdery) asbestos, which can cause cancer and other diseases if inhaled.

At Wednesday's property and insurance committee meeting, members passed the decision onto the finance committee, with no recommendation for action.

But committee member Richard Boockmeier of Portage was experiencing sticker shock.

"I don't know where Columbia County is going to find that kind of money when we're having all these financial troubles," he said.

County Comptroller Lois Schepp said there was ample money for the project in a fund that the county sets aside for capital improvements, thus allowing the work to be done this year without taking money from the general fund.

Wiegel said the project can be started as soon as a qualified asbestos remover (of which there are relatively few in the country) becomes available. Asbestos removers often work on schools during the summer, he said, and will likely be available to the county after schools resume classes in the fall.

The whole project should take about 30 days from start to finish, he said. The courthouse can remain open for business throughout the work.

The draping of the hallways and the asbestos removal will be done on a weekend, when the courthouse is closed.

When the courthouse re-opens after the removal, it will be safe for employees and visitors, he said, although the ceilings will be exposed until the new tiles can be put in.

The asbestos removal was not included in this year's budget, because county officials didn't discover the need for it until this spring.

In late March, the courthouse office of the victim-witness program was closed for half a day after an air quality test was positive for asbestos. The asbestos came from a piece of pipe insulation concealed by the ceiling tiles, and a qualified asbestos remover took it out, allowing the office to reopen the next morning.

That incident prompted a full asbestos inspection of the courthouse, which was built in 1962. Almost all buildings that age have asbestos, which was used in construction for its durable and fire-retardant properties.

Wiegel said the small amounts of asbestos were found in about 15 areas in the building, where removal would be easy and relatively inexpensive.

But the discovery of friable asbestos in the hallway ceiling tiles of all three floors made the project more urgent, and more costly.

The project's total cost, $74,017, includes removing the asbestos-containing tiles and any loose asbestos, replacing all the tiles and the grids that hold them, removing asbestos-laden fittings from pipes concealed by the ceiling and lowering the ceiling on the main and second floors to allow easier access for workers. Wiegel noted that, with the lowered ceilings, there is room to install sound-absorbing tiles, which are thicker than the existing tiles, on the main and second floors. This would address a common complaint, that sound from the hallways tends to carry into courtrooms, offices and other rooms, he said.

Wiegel also said he plans to replace the electric "exit" signs with new signs that would be easier to read, and that would not use electricity.

County Board Chairwoman Debra Wopat of Rio said simply leaving the asbestos where it is, with no definite removal plan, is not an option.

"This all came to light because of an employee complaint. It's not going to go away," she said.

ljerde@capitalnewspapers.com

745-3587