Indicted asbestos co. worked in Lynn

LYNN – A company that was recently indicted by the state Attorney General’s office for improper removal of asbestos performed work on two public schools in Lynn even though they were not licensed to do so, city officials acknowledged Monday.Michael Donovan, director of the Inspectional Services Department, confirmed that asbestos remediation projects undertaken in the Marshall Middle School and the Lynn Woods Elementary School were done so by AEI Environmental LLC, a company recently indicted by the Attorney General’s Office.Authorities allege that David Harder Jr. and Julia Rosati and AEI Environmental LLC engaged in the illegal and improper removal of asbestos at numerous locations in Lynn, Beverly and Marblehead, including several public buildings and schools, as well as other locations in Massachusetts, without properly notifying MassDEP.Superintendent Catherine Latham said the fact that AEI was indicted was not a surprise to her nor Donovan.”We had a visit from DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) in September,” Latham said. “DEP contacted us and said they were not licensed. Since then we worked with the state and have cooperated fully.”Donovan said both projects were small, which meant they didn’t have to go out to bid. He said he got three phone quotes when each problem came up. He admitted neither Harder nor Rosati were asked to supply a copy of their licenses. When asked if the failure to ask Harder and Rosati to supply a license was an oversight, Donovan said simply, “It’s done now.”According to the Attorney General’s office, the removal of asbestos must be performed by a licensed contractor pursuant to MassDEP regulations with notification as to when the removal will occur.When an issue arose at the Marshall Middle School with a short length of pipe that had developed a small leak, Donovan said one of his inspectors called Harder and asked if he could take care of the problem, which he did. Donovan said Harder had worked for the city previously with a company that had been licensed for asbestos removal.The pipe was wrapped in insulation that contained asbestos. Asbestos is a mineral fiber that has been commonly used for insulation and in a variety of building construction materials and can cause cancer and other lung related illnesses.It wasn’t until the city got the bill, Donovan said, that he noticed Harder was with a different company, AEI. He said Harder told him he had gone into business on his own. It wasn’t until the DEP contacted Donovan that he learned AEI was not licensed to remove asbestos.About the same time of the Marshal incident, gasket material that included asbestos was found at the base of a boiler that was being removed from the Lynn Woods Elementary School. Again Donovan called someone who had done previous work for the city with a company that had been licensed. Rosati came in, tested the area and determined it was asbestos that needed to be removed. Donovan said he asked her to get a quote on the project and she subsequently handled the removal of the material.Donovan was quick to add however that air quality testing was done on both of the schools and both came up clean. Latham added that there have been no repercussions as a result of the removal gaffe.Along with the testing, Donovan said the entire basement, boiler room, a hallway and a computer room were cleaned at Lynn Woods.”This remediation was completed in September,” Latham added. “As soon as DEP called us we cooperated fully.”Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy declined to comment on the issue.