Highland Middle School Asbestos Removal Starts Jan. 22

The following is a letter from Huron Valley School District Jim Baker.

Dear Parent or Guardian:

As you are aware, Highland Middle School has been shuttered since 2011. On Tuesday, January 15, the HVS Board of Education voted to move forward with asbestos abatement at Highland Middle. HVS has contracted with Quality Environmental Services for this project. It is anticipated that the removal will begin on the site on January 22. Therefore, you should expect to see activity in that area when you are dropping off or picking up your student.

I want to assure you that air quality will be monitored continuously during the entire abatement process. Contiguous air samples (outside of the containment areas) will be run to ensure isolation during the removal process. All applicable state and federal guidelines will be strictly followed. Stringent visual inspections will be completed after abatement to ensure proper removal. During the abatement process, We will have Michigan-accredited asbestos inspectors on site. The abatement company is licensed with the State of Michigan and the workers are trained and state accredited. We do not anticipate that this process will cause unusually high noise levels, and therefore, not effect instruction.

In addition to asbestos abatement, I want to address the issue of water quality at Highland Elementary. Because, Highland Middle has been closed, the district made the decision to shut off the water to the building and not chlorinate the piping. Therefore, the Oakland County Health Division requires us to post notifications to anyone entering the building not to drink the water. Highland Elementary’s water system is entirely separate from Highland Middle School's. Therefore, there is no impact to Water at Highland Elementary. The water at Highland Elementary is tested based on requirements set forth by the Oakland County Health Division. As a standard practice, the water is tested quarterly for bacteria. In addition, as part of the standard, there are other tests conducted at greater intervals. All results are reported to and monitored by the Oakland County Health Division.

Please contact Michelle Kerns at Michelle.Kerns@hvs.org if you have questions or need more information.

Sincerely,

Jim Baker, Superintendent