My experience with asbestos removal is not as harrowing as
what I've read so far. I work for the California Dept. of Water
Resources, a state agency housed in the Resources Building, owned
by the State and housing other resources agencies like the Depts.
of Fish and Game, Forestry and Fire Prevention, and Parks and
Recreation. It was built in 1964 and DWR is its largest tenant.
In 1990 or 91, the Director of DWR wished to modernize and
remodel our workspaces in the interest of promoting employee
morale.
The plan was to remodel one division at a time since we were
spread out on about 6 of the 16 floors. They got to the 11th
floor, where the legal office was, in early 1991. Asbestos
removal in the ceiling tiles was scheduled in two phases. The
first took about 8 or 9 weeks, and mostly occurred on weekends
and after 5:00 to minimize disruption. The DWR people in charge
of remodeling were sensitive to employee concerns about possible
contamination, and anyone who wished was allowed to work
elsewhere. My memory is that few if any people availed
themselves of that option. The main annoyance was when the air
conditioning system was shut down for a period of two weeks, and
even in April, some people were uncomfortable, including me.
Fortunately the first phase was over by May, and no further
activity was scheduled to start until October in light of
Sacramento's summer temperatures.
Phase 2, which was the legal office's (and the law library)
was cancelled. We (the attorneys, secretaries and I) voted to
forgo a major remodel in favor of new paint, carpet and
furniture. I still had to contend with the library being packed,
the boxes hauled to the warehouse and reshelved after the work
was done, including installation of industrial strength
earthquake bracing, but I survived thanks to plenty of planning
beforehand and constant monitoring of the activities of the
movers which minimized lots of reshelving.
I'm glad it's over. It's more fun to describe than to
experience.
Mary Ann Parker
dwrlaw@class.org
Department of Water Resources Law Library, Sacramento
PH: (916) 653-8001
FAX: (916) 653-0952
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