A day care facility, that just re-opened in October after an 11-month closure to deal with vermiculite containing Libby Mine asbestos, was again closed this week after more vermiculite was discovered.
Parents of some 55 children attending Willowdale Child Care were informed on May 4 of the discovery and were forced to find alternative child care during work to contain the vermiculite.
That work, according to Mario Petricevic, Guelph’s general manager of corporate building maintenance, was to be completed by mid-week with the day care expected to re-open by May 13.
The day care building, which is owned by the city and operated by Wellington County, was originally closed in November, 2011 and re-opened last October after work to contain vermiculite was completed.
Petricevic said this week’s closure was the result of staff discovering vermiculite coming from baseboard insulation.
“It’s being contained,” he said.
Because the material is used in a number of building applications, removing it is not an option.
“To totally get rid of it you’ve got to tear the building down,” said Petricevic.
Luisa Artuso, Wellington County’s director of child care services, credited staff with discovering the material and then taking the proper precautions.
“We just found a small amount that was in through the walls by the baseboard,” Artuso said. “We were sure it was not disturbed. As long as it was contained it’s not disruptive; it’s safe.”
The county subsidizes about 75 per cent of the children in the day care and will cover any additional costs to relocate them. When the building was first evacuated in 2011, the county found an alternative building for the day care children.
Artuso said a similar, long-term solution was not required this time because the building was not expected to be vacated for long.
Petricevic said he expects the day care will operate as normal by Monday.
Previous tests on the building have found asbestos levels pose a “very low” risk to the health of the children.
Warden Chris White said he expects the county social services committee will review the agreement with Guelph on use of the building.
