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ITHACA N.Y.(WENY) --
"We have almost 800 people who have written Mayor Svante Myrick to say, you've got to require this asbestos to be removed before you knock it down that's the state mandate," says Walter Hang, President of Toxics Targeting
Today the old Tompkins County Library was set to start demolition to make way for the new senior housing development. But the project has been pushed back until December 17th as of right now and the community is still voicing their concerns.
"The problem is if they knock it down without removing the asbestos, the asbestos which is a cancer causing agent can be spread throughout this residential neighborhood that's why the citizens are fighting so hard to get the asbestos removed before the building is allowed to be knocked down," says Hang
A large community concern about the asbestos inside of this building is not only that this building is in the middle of a community but it also doubles as a bus stop where kids are picked up to go to and from school.
Another matter at hand that Hang brought up was that there may be future legal issues in the works as he has now involved the attorney general in this demolition due to the engineering and surveying department revising their assessment. Hang states that there could be a false instrument.
WENY did reach out to the director of code enforcement to ask about these possible legal troubles and they say Hang's report is false.
They say that the contractor that they have hired has dealt with similar demolition projects.
We will keep up with this story as it develops.