Newburgh Firehouses, Police HQ Has Mold

NEWBURGH – It could cost $500,000 or more to remediate severe mold problems in the City of Newburgh’s Public Safety Building, which houses the main firehouse and police department, and the West End Firehouse on Upper Broadway.

Officials of Quest Environmental, which conducted studies for the city, found live mold spores on walls, floors, clothing and air conditioning systems. Quest will now draft a recommended plan to rid the facilities of the dangerous material.

The problems with the Public Safety Building, constructed in the early 1970s, go beyond the mold problem, City Manager Michel Ciaravino told council members Thursday night.

“In addition to the environmental hazards, which I think are very real, we also have structural issues with that building that strongly suggest that it is way beyond its useful life and the cliché about throwing good money after bad is really heightened when we consider just how much remediation would have to be done,” Ciaravino said.

To add insult to injury, asbestos has been found in the West End Firehouse and that, too, must be remediated.

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