Contractor: We Complied With Wilmington Rules, Town Doesn't Require Asbestos Survey

WILMINGTON, MA -- The contractor that was fined $6,000 and had its license suspended to do septic work in Wilmington after being accused of shoddy demolition work has fired back at the town, saying it followed all town regulations and complied promptly with the local health board and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection when asbestos was discovered at the work site at 13 Muse Avenue. In a statement from Susan Shelby for Langone Development Group, the company said the permits it received from the town did not require -- or even mention -- an asbestos survey before work could begin.

While town officials have used the incident to review its permitting process and have taken responsibility for the mix-up, it was not before Langone was blasted by residents and officials in a series of public meetings. At a selectmen's meeting earlier this month, Health Department Director Shelly Newhouse called Jonathan Langone "a shoddy contractor" while Town Manager Jeffrey Hull called said Langone went "rogue" and demolished the building.

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In her statement, Shelby said neighbors complained to the town about the possible existence of asbestos after work began, but that information was never conveyed to Langone. Shelby's statement, which was first published as a letter to the editor of the local news site Wilmington Apple, also noted it immediately complied when the state DEP stepped in. The company has since resumed work on the demolition and the removal of debris and is following proper procedures for working with asbestos-containing materials.

"Unfortunately, the Town did not share this information with us. Had we known there was asbestos, we would have engaged an asbestos abatement company before starting demolition," she said. "We would not allow our workers to take down a house with asbestos without proper protective gear, nor work in a way that creates angst among the neighbors."

Last week the Board of Health fined Langone $6,000. While the town does not have the authority to suspend the company's contracting license, it did suspend Langone's permit to do septic work in town through the end of 2018. In her statement, Shelby argued the penalty was not warranted.

"Despite not intentionally violating any regulation, and promptly and completely cooperating with all DEP direction, we are now faced with a situation where the town is attempting to prevent us from working in town," she said. "We are a local business, employing local employees. Our family has lived in Wilmington for four generations and we have done business here since 2006...We love our town and we would never do anything to hurt the town or our neighbors."

The issue came up again at Monday night's selectmen's meeting, when Hull updated selectmen on the efforts to revise the permitting process and submit a letter that would be sent to abutters of 13 Muse Avenue.

Photo by Dave Copeland.

For more on this story, see Wilmington Apple.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851.