Letter from ECC Co-chairs

April 4, 2008

Dear ECC Parents, As parent liaisons to the temple board charged to bring your concerns to school and temple administration, we were able to present your concerns to the temple House Committee and the Executive Committee earlier this week and we are reassured that everyone is taking them very seriously. We thought you would all like to know that the House Committee is comprised of architects, commercial contractors, realtors, and people who work in the NYC School system managing construction projects. In response to your concerns, and upon the recommendation of the house committee, on April 2nd, the executive committee decided to halt demolition work until further notice.

Two issues that concerned us the most regarding the work on the building's exterior were addressed very clearly by the project architects. As parents of young children at the school we felt this information should be shared with everyone.

1.    Existence of lead paint.  The only place lead paint potentially exists is on the exterior frames of the windows. At this point in time, work on the exterior of the windows is being put on hold pending a decision as to whether or not to replace all the windows. The contractor has not touched the windows (nor will he), until such time the temple decides to conduct such work. The architect explained to us that they have sent a sample of paint from the exterior window frame for lead testing in anticipation of there being lead-containing paint. IF the work is approved by the temple, all necessary precautions will be taken to remove any lead and ensure proper removal by appropriate abatement contractors. Additionally, if this work is approved, it would be communicated to parents before it begins.

2.    Existence of asbestos on the roof. The architect explained in great detail that anytime there is construction work planned, the city requires testing for asbestos before approval for construction is given. There is a very small amount of asbestos embedded in some of the roofing materials. HOWEVER, it has not been disturbed in any way by the contractor. The architect explained that the asbestos is encapsulated in a small area of the roofing materials and is non-friable, which means it does not become airborne when disturbed. Still, the asbestos will be removed, contained and disposed as required by law by a licensed abatement contractor. This work is scheduled to be done when school is not in session.

Due to the nature of the demolition work, some interior ceiling paint and plaster was disturbed in two classrooms when the rooms were empty and affected classes were immediately reassigned to other space. Even though comprehensive lead abatement procedures were done to the building's interior in 2005, as a precaution the architect has sent samples to a qualified laboratory for analysis. Should the results of these tests be cause for concern, we will let you know.

In any event, when work proceeds all required procedures to ensure the health and safety of all the building's occupants will be used. For your information, any remaining demolition work will likely be completed during the spring break.

Overall, we would you like you to know that the Executive Committee members, the house committee, the contractor and the architect have all heard the concerns of the parents and teachers and are working closely with Maura and Jaci to actively address all facets of the construction that have an impact on our children's day-to-day experience at the Early Childhood Center. The Executive Committee will continue to communicate with you about the specific points raised in your letter.

Thanks to everyone for your patience and the time you've spent working on outlining all of your concerns.

Denise Stone and Karen Gerwin
Co-chairs of the ECC Committee