Binghamton School Asbestos Removal Starts

The work to remove asbestos from a Binghamton elementary school is underway.

The Binghamton City School Board recently met in a special session to declare an emergency at the Calvin Coolidge Elementary School, where asbestos had been found in a crawl space in the basement at the end of the last school year.

Sunstream Corporation of Binghamton has now begun overseeing the removal of the disturbed asbestos.

The material, which has been linked to incidents of cancer, had been discovered in a routine check of the building which happens every three years.

Air tests earlier this month showed unsafe levels of asbestos in all but a couple areas of the building.

The district had scheduled an August 19th briefing for teachers prior to its regular school board meeting the next day and a public meeting at 6:00 p.m. August 22 in the third floor auditorium of the Columbus School on Hawley Street in Binghamton.