North Carolina City Vows to Clean Up Asbestos-Laden Power Plant

May 20 , 2006 - An old power plant which has sat idle in Kinston, NC for more than 30 years will finally be cleaned up, according to an article in the Kinston Free Press, if costs are not too prohibitive. 

Officials for the city indicate that many of the rooms in the plant, which served the town until the early 1970s, are full of asbestos – much of it loose.   Removing the asbestos from the Kinston Power Plant will carry a hefty price tag, notes Scott Stevens, the city’s director of public services, ranging anywhere from a few hundred thousand dollars up to a million. 

The building, which is structurally sound and architecturally interesting, can stand as it is without affecting the health of the public, but there are those that fear it could eventually become a public danger.  Furthermore, because the brick and concrete plant is in such good shape, individuals have indicated an interest in using the building for other purposes.

Stevens emphasized that the bids for asbestos removal will determine if the city will do anything with the plant at this time. He also stressed that an inspector with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reviewed the site just a few months ago and found that the building is sealed properly, therefore currently posing no threat to the public.

City Manager Ralph Clark stressed that there are no immediate plans for demolishing the plant.

“The problem is that down the road a cleanup will be necessary. With the building closed off as it has been for years we can’t do necessary maintenance,” Clark said. “If the roof caves in — or something else happens that can lead to the escape of asbestos — there will not only be a danger to public health, but there will be a tremendous cost for cleanup.”

Clark also indicated that other communities across North Carolina have taken similar power plants, often laden with asbestos, and turned them into useful public facilities.