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YORKTOWN, N.Y. - The Yorktown Town Board has approved spending an additional $10,000 to monitor asbestos removal and demolition of three large, dilapidated buildings and approximately 10 smaller bungalows on the property of the former Holland Sporting Club in Mohegan Lake.
"It's a consensus that the town is obligated as owner of the property to do asbestos monitoring," said Supervisor Michael Grace. "There's liability to the town under federal and state law."
The need for the town to sign a contract with GEO Environmental to peform air sampling, asbestos supervision and final inspections at the site, which is located off Lexington Avenue and Lawrence Street, arose following a contractual dispute with another contractor.
While taking responsibility for what she termed "faulty specs under my watch," former Supervisor Susan Siegel questioned if the town was following its procurement policy, which requires three bids.
"People in the Mohegan area will be glad to know this will be done soon. But the testing work being done is in no way related to the monitoring," she said. "It's stretching the point. I understand the need to act quickly. Somebody just needed to pick up the phone and call three other monitors."
Grace disagreed, and was backed by Town Attorney Jeannette Koster, saying the town was adhering to an allowable exception in the procurement policy.
"It's a professional service. I have no problem with it," Grace said. "It's much more an art than a science and the town is caught in a dilemma. I need someone that I can trust out there. I for one have no need to go out and get anyone else when I have someone who is trustworthy."
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