Work Resumes On Asbestos-Contaminated Wilmington Site

WILMINGTON, MA -- Workers have resumed the demolition and debris removal work at 13 Muse Avenue, where a century-old house was torn down last month. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection had halted work on the project after siding in the house tested positive for asbestos. Neighbors had complained to DEP and the town that Langone Development Group, Inc. was skirting rules that regulate the removal of the cancer-causing material.

Wilmington approved the demolition permit on August 29. DEP responded to an August 30 complaint from a resident about improper asbestos removal and halted work on the demolition. State and federal rules require a work stoppage when asbestos is discovered until a plan for its safe removal can be drawn up.

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Lagone met with DEP on Sept. 5. The asbestos removal plan was approved by DEP that same day. Work on the site cleanup resumed this week, but neighbors are still concerned. Many attended last week's meeting of the Wilmington Board of Selectmen to voice their concerns.

At the meeting, Town Manager Jeff Hull said he had been talking with town department heads to figure out what had gone wrong in the town's oversight of the project. "I'm not going to make excuses," Hull said, adding he took full responsibility for the mistake.

"The fact is we directly do not have responsibility for regulation of asbestos," Hull said. "That said, what we should have done is when we became aware that this gentleman was going rogue and demolishing this building, we should have contacted DEP.

Health Department Director Shelly Newhouse said Lagone "knew what he was doing" and called the company "a shoddy contractor."

"I want to make clear that this contractor knew what he was doing," she said during last week's meeting. "He did something illegal and he did something wrong."

Photos by Dave Copeland.