Mayo Group disputing allegations in grand jury asbestos indictment

TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
January 27, 2008

A Boston-based company redeveloping Bancroft Commons at 50 Franklin St. issued a statement yesterday responding to an indictment handed down Friday.

According to the state attorney general’s office, The Mayo Group Development LLC was indicted by a Worcester grand jury on charges it violated the Clear Air Act by failing to file notices of asbestos removal with the state Department of Environmental Protection; failing to comply with procedures for asbestos emissions control; and improperly disposing of asbestos waste during construction at the downtown building.

The statement, released yesterday by Mayo general counsel Taran T. Grigsby, acknowledged being notified of the indictment, but expressed disappointment that the attorney general’s office “chose to inform the press before notifying Mayo Group Development LLC about the issuance of an indictment.”

Company officials did not return a phone call seeking comment Friday.

The statement also said the company disputes the attorney general’s characterization of the facts at hand and will vigorously defend itself in a court of law. The statement noted that the company typically takes underused, often vacant and run-down properties and restores them into new housing for urban communities.

“Our work in cities such as Worcester, Boston, Lynn and beyond has been carried out in close cooperation with public officials and neighborhood advocates. In every case, Mayo Group Development LLC strives to improve the communities in which we work. That work will continue as we move toward the resolution of this matter,” the statement read.

According to the attorney general’s office, the indictments stemmed from an investigation that alleged the Mayo Group had its own employees demolish parts of the 10-story building and failed to conduct a full asbestos survey of the building and properly remove asbestos from the site before it began renovations. The attorney general’s office said residents were living in the building while workers were demolishing elements that contained asbestos, a known carcinogen.

Investigators also alleged that in February 2007, state DEP employees saw demolition debris being thrown out of a window at Bancroft Commons. Further inspection revealed the discovery of impacted asbestos-containing material in the building and in a waste pile and a disposal trailer on the premises. Authorities alleged asbestos from the site was scheduled for disposal at a landfill that was not a designated asbestos waste disposal site.

A cease and desist order was issued to the Mayo Group in the spring of 2007 after impacted asbestos-containing material was found on the second floor at Bancroft Commons, but unauthorized asbestos removal continued in other parts of the building, posing a risk to both residents and workers involved, the attorney general’s office said.

Source: http://www.telegram.com