Bob Ellis/staff photographer
Looking like a snow drift, Styrofoam shavings lay in the parking lot of the apartment building at 51 Port Watson St. Thursday afternoon. The building is undergoing a facelift using the foam which neighbors say is making a mess of the area.
Complaints arise from foam debris at housing tower
Neighbors have expressed concern about the littering of Styrofoam waste from construction on the Cortland Housing Authority apartment tower at 51 Port Watson St.
About three weeks ago, construction workers began cutting and sanding Styrofoam panels, which has caused small, white specks to sprinkle across nearby cars, trees and porches.
Alderman Tom Michales (R-8th Ward) said several people have complained about the Styrofoam, and his own porch gets covered with white specks on a regular basis.
The sanding ensures an exact fit of pieces of Styrofoam paneling that will protect the cement walls and steel reinforcement beams from moisture that causes deterioration. The project should be completed within a month, depending on the weather, said Glenn Goldwyn, executive director of the Cortland Housing Authority.
Contractors warned the Cortland Housing Authority about the dust before the project started, and workers only sand once a week, said project manager Mike Hudak, who works for Hudak Waterproofing based in Scranton, Pa.
The Styrofoam is similar to the material used for coffee cups and is not dangerous, Goldwyn said.
The contractors are laying the panels by individual floors, and with the work occurring multiple stories above the ground, the entire building cannot be encapsulated to prevent the falling waste.
After receiving complaints, Goldwyn negotiated with the contractors, and they agreed to purchase an industrial-sized vacuum to clean up the neighborhood debris.
The cost of the vacuum will be added to the contractor’s bill, and the Cortland Housing Authority will be responsible for cleaning the debris in the neighbors’ yards.
Goldwyn said he was not sure how soon the equipment would be purchased or when the materials would be cleaned up.
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- Garage fire in Virgil cuts power to 190 households
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