The presence of asbestos at the site of a partially-demolished mobile home park in the 500 block of South Main Street in Columbia was confirmed Thursday.

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Public Information Officer Kim Biggs offered clarification of spray-painted designations “P,” “N” and “X” seen on remaining structures at 548 S. Main Street the weekend of Nov. 14.

“Per the owner, the letters signify to asbestos contractors which trailers are P (positive for asbestos), N (negative for asbestos) or X (having the roof removed),” Biggs wrote in her Nov. 20 email to the Republic-Times.

Biggs added the IEPA has “requested an update on the timeline going forward and confirmation that asbestos is being abated by a licensed asbestos contractor,” also signifying the “progress to date indicates the asbestos concerns are being addressed.”

As previously reported, Biggs said an inspection would include tests on “any previous demolition areas for asbestos contamination” near the corner of South Main Street at Centerville Road, and the property owner would “need to submit necessary documentation to the Illinois EPA prior to the future demolition.”

On Monday, Biggs responded to an email seeking clarification on the status of the previously demolished trailers on this site and the disposal site where this debris was taken.

Biggs said remnants from the trailers removed in September were “no longer present when Illinois EPA became involved,” although she added a licensed inspector tested the “demolition sites and surrounding soils for residual contamination, and those results all came back negative” for asbestos.

In response to a question about the disposal site of those trailers, Biggs cited the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants – the official federal guidelines for asbestos removal – in saying the IEPA “has no additional action to take regarding the previous demolitions.”

Those guidelines do not specify procedures for asbestos testing at disposal sites, rather, they only provide direction for sites to be used for disposal of materials containing asbestos.

On Tuesday Biggs explained that the IEPA “Illinois EPA “does not test disposal sites as there would be no way to determine if it was from a specific demolition or something else.”

An uncertainty about the presence of asbestos in the structures demolished in September has been a repeatedly voiced concern from neighboring property owners and pedestrians in the area who may have been unknowingly exposed to asbestos.

In addition to the site being along the southern portion of the heavily walked or cycled GM&O Heritage Trail, several local residents reported having their windows open during the September demolition due to mild weather at the time.

Discovery of asbestos in any structure demolished prior to asbestos testing and abatement could expose the property owners to legal action due to the public health risks associated with asbestos. 

Airborne asbestos fibers, if inhaled, result in severe lung damage and cause conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mesothelioma and lung cancer.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency added asbestos to its list of regulated air toxins in the mid-1970s.

The Asbestos National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants were revised in 1990, allowing more strict control of projects potentially involving asbestos. 

The issue began after the when the property owners began demolition on Sept. 12.

The city was made aware of the activity, and the property owners applied for a demolition permit on Sept. 15. Work was halted later that month when it was discovered owners of the property did not perform required asbestos testing prior to beginning the project. 

Multiple vacant units had been demolished and cleared, and several aging trailers still stand on the site, with recent testing revealing the presence of asbestos in some of those remaining structures. 

The parcel in question is owned by Main Street Villas LLC. The corporation was involuntarily dissolved on Aug. 8, although it is still listed as owner of the property.

The listed agent for this LLC is Grant Frierdich, a Columbia developer who has previously been involved with other contracting businesses along with family members Paul and Adam Frierdich, sharing a business address of 323 N. Main Street in Columbia.

The demolition permit lists Paul Frierdich as property owner, Grant Frierdich as applicant and Adam Frierdich as “excavator,” or the person performing the work.

It is also not known what future plans are in place for this lot once demolition is finally completed.

The City of Columbia had previously expressed interest in the property in recent years.

A proposed TIF or business district was discussed during a 2021 council meeting for which developers approached the city to bring an 8,000 square foot commercial/residential development to that area. 

That project eventually fell through because an agreement could not be reached with the tenants at that time for relocation.

Columbia City Administrator Doug Brimm told the Republic-Times in a Nov. 25 email that, From the (City of Columbia’s) perspective, the absence of any communication from the Illinois EPA suggests the agency does not have concerns requiring municipal involvement.”