8/14/2019 Tapping the Rockies Comes Up Dry
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THE METROPOLITAN AUGUST 21, 2008 METRO A5
Tapping the Rockies comes up dry
Another round o asbestos re-
moval rom the grounds o the Sci-
ence Building construction site is
nearing completion.
While beginning work on a new
water retention pond between the
North Classroom building and Speer
Boulevard, construction crews de-
tected asbestos in the soil.
Asbestos is the common name
or magnesium silicate, which was
requently used in building materi-
als because o its re-resistant quali-
ties beore it was ound to be a health
hazard.
The small, thread-like bers are
easily inhaled and can become em-
bedded in the lungs.
According to the Colorado De-
partment o Health and Human Ser-
vices, signicant exposure to any typeo asbestos will seriously
increase the
risk o lung cancer, mesothelioma
and nonmalignant lung and pleural
disorders, including asbestosis, pleu-
ral plaques, pleural thickening and
pleural eusions.
The asbestos that we came across
was buried. We did some potholing to
check or the asbestos, and we ound
it, said James Fraser, division director
or acilities management at Auraria.
Joyce Carnes, project manager or
Science Building construction, said
the asbestos came rom debris that
was mixed in with the soil.
It is in old roong materials,
foor tiles and other old building ma-
terials, Carnes said.
These materials have likely been
in the ground since the campus was
rst constructed, Carnes said.Auraria Campus was built in the
late 1960s, and it was built on an
existing blighted area. It was an in-
dustrial area, the old brewery and a
residential area. It was bulldozed over
and covered up, and so it is pretty typ-
ical or us to come up with asbestos.
Removal o the asbestos began
Aug. 11, and is scheduled to be com-
pleted Aug. 22, just beore the Demo-
cratic National Convention.
The contaminated soils will be
removed ollowing Colorado Depart-
ment o Public Health and Environ-
ment regulations and guidelines,
which should prevent students, ac-
ulty and sta rom any exposure to
the asbestos.
This removal includes wetting
down the soil in order to prevent it
rom escaping into the air as it is load-ed into trucks and
removed.
The asbestos is taken to a desig-
nated landll area that has been cer-
tied to be able to accept it, Carnes
said.
The immediate area around the
excavation will be monitored daily.
As a precaution and to help keep
the North Classroom Building clean
and asbestos-ree, users o the east
side o the building are asked to keep
their windows closed during the re-
moval to prevent dust rom entering
the building.
Signs will also be posted around
the east side o the North Classroom
Building to help notiy the campus
community.
The scale o the removal did cause
construction on the Science Building
to be delayed Carnes said.Construction has since gotten
back on track and is still projected to
be completed by late 2009.
I had no clue they have been
removing asbestos. Its a little scary,
Metro senior Rachelle Duncan said.
I will make sure to avoid that part o
campus.
Duncan also said she oten uses
the labs in the current Science Build-
ing but saw no signs warning or ex-
plaining the asbestos abatement.
Disease is unlikey to result orm a
single, high-level exposure to asbes-
tos.
The heavisest levels o exposure
occur in the construction industry,
particularly during building renova-
tions or demolition.
By ANDREW [email protected]
Contaminated soil removal nears completion
Photo by CAITLIN GIBBONS/[email protected]
Workers remove unearthed asbestos Monday from the new Science
Building site. The removal of asbestos began Aug. 11,and is planned
to be completed by Aug. 22. Workers remove the asbestos from the
site every day staring at 3 p.m.
Asbestos discoverydeemed typical,delay only temporary
Amount of oil, gasmoney for higher edvery disappointing
DNC UPDATEWORK ON SCIENCEBUILDING TO CONTINUE
The Science Building construc-
tion will continue as planned during
the campus closure or the Democrat-
ic National Convention.
Campus Planner Jill Jennings said
the decision to continue construction
was based largely on costs.
The approximate cost to delay
construction or a week is $200,000,
because it would involve mobilizationand demobilization o the
construc-
tion crew, Jennings said.
Shutting down construction
would also have impacted the expect-
ed completion date, pushing back the
opening o the building.
Construction on the Science
Building is slated or completion in
late 2009.
Security guards will be at the
construction site each night ater
construction crews nish working or
the day.
Delivery o construction materi-
als will be impacted by the road clo-
sures and detours along Speer Boule-
vard.
PARKING OPEN DURINGOBAMAS SPEECH
NO ISSUE DURING
CONVENTION BREAK
By DANiEL [email protected]
Future Colorado higher educa-
tion construction projects may take
longer to pay or ater oil and gas leas-
es raised less money than expected.
However, existing projects, such
as Aurarias Science Building, should
not be aected, school ocials said.
The $114 million paid on Aug.
14, by energy companies or the
rights to drill in the Roan Valley yield-
ed the most money in history rom a
sale o mineral leases.
Advocacy groups such as Amer-
icans or American Energy had esti-
mated that state coers alone would
get as much as $2 billion.
Instead, Colorado will only re-
ceive $56 million ater splitting the
money 49 to 51 percent split with
the ederal government.
Under a law signed earlier this
year, hal o the money rom oil and
gas leases goes to inrastructure on
the Western Slope, where the drilling
is done.
The other hal o the money
around $28 million will be depos-
ited in a und or Colorados colleges
and universities.
It is very disappointing that the
sale yielded so little, a terrible dis-
appointment, said Evan Dreyer, a
spokesperson or Gov. Bill Ritter. But
we werent really expecting more.
Its a sad day or Colorado,
Ritter said in a press release. Its a
missed oppurtunity, one we will nev-
er get back.
The U.S. Bureau o Land Manage-
ment auctioned the leases to 55,186
acres o land to energy companies
despite objections rom environmen-
tal advocates.
Ritter had proposed that the BLM
sell the leases over time in the hopes
o maximizing the price.
The land is believed to hold 9 tril-
lion cubic eet o natural gas.
The plan to drill in Roan Pla-
teau, a Colorado landmark about
180 miles east o Denver amous or
wildlie and pristine landscape, has
been contested rom its conception
because o environmental concerns
about the drilling.
Several protests must be resolved
in court beore the sales are nal.
Dreyer said the groups who made
the high estimates were advocating
or the oil and gas industry and hyp-
ing the amounts to push the deal
through.
Greg Schnacke, president o
Americans or American Energy,
said it is all the stipulations put on
the deal that ended up driving down
the prices.
What we saw today was nothing
less than a re sale, and the people o
Colorado got burned, Schnacke said
in a press release.
The non-stop political attacks
on this project by Bill Ritter and Ken
Salazar raised the political risk pre-
mium o this project to the sky, and
bidders reduced their bids accord-
ingly.
Christine Staberg, a partner at
the Capstone Group, Metros lobby-
ists at the Colorado legislature, said
while it would have meant signicant
money or the higher education und,
projects already underway, such as
Aurarias Science Building should
not be directly eected.
Two billion dollars, o course,
would have been nice, Staberg said.
But this mostly aects uture capital
investments.
Several lots at the Auraria cam-
pus will be available or public parking
on Aug. 28, or Sen. Barack Obamas
acceptance speech at Invesco Field at
Mile High.
More than 70,000 people are
expected at Invesco to watch Obama
ormally accept the Democratic Par-
tys nomination or president.
Those attending the acceptance
speech can park in lots A, B, F, H, I, Land K or $20.
Mark Gallagher, director o park-
ing and transportation services, said
there will be no public parking in
the lots at Invesco on the day o the
speech.
It is the only time during the cam-
pus closure that any o the parking
lots at Auraria will be open or public
parking. From Aug. 23 to 27, parking
will only be available to authorized
campus personnel.
The Metropolitan will not publish
an issue on Aug. 28. The paper will
return with an issue on Sept. 4.
