Students walking through the halls of the Grandview Student Center at Central Oregon Community College have noticed a change over the past week. The building now contains sections that have been sealed off by plastic sheeting, and the sounds of construction echo throughout the building.

The reason for these changes is simple: the college is conducting asbestos abatement, a step that should protect the health of COCC students, faculty, and staff.

Signs on the doors and on the plastic sheeting warn students that asbestos abatement is ongoing behind the sealed partitions.

The northern end of the building faced demolition and new construction earlier in the year. The next step for the student center building will be continued expansion. School officials hope to expand the building to include more offices and classrooms.

The student lounge currently undergoing asbestos abatement will be turned into offices. The building will also have an elevator installed, in order to bring the building up to the standards required through the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The first phase of the project is expected to finish in June, and the second phase will continue through the summer months. The student lounge was tested, and was found to have small (but detectable) amounts of asbestos. The asbestos was present in the glue that held the tiles in place, as well as in a thin wash over the drywall.

When inhaled, asbestos can cause serious health problems, including mesothelioma. This is why parts of the building were sealed off; as asbestos can become airborne during renovations.

A negative air machine was also used to change the air pressure in the sealed areas, which will prevent air that may contain asbestos particles from leaving the room.

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