EnviroVantage partnered with Ricci Construction of Portsmouth, N.H. in the clean up and renovation of Lafayette School. The old three story school building, located at 100 Lafayette Rd. in Portsmouth, is being converted into an edifice for much needed assisted living apartments.

The school was not a healthy building as it contained many hazardous materials such as asbestos, lead paint, and PCB's. As the general contractor, Ricci Construction felt confident in selecting EnviroVantage to safely clean up and prepare the entire structure for the next stages of renovation.

The major work performed by EnviroVantage included asbestos abatement, lead paint removal, demolition and clean-up. This project was very similar to a number of projects completed by EnviroVantage in the past. Previous projects completed in N.H. include the Brown School conversion to an apartment building in response to the shortage of affordable housing for the elderly in Manchester, demolition of three dorms at St. Paul's School in Concord, and the renovation of Mary Lyon Hall at Plymouth State University, for which EnviroVantage was honored to be presented with an award for Excellence in Construction.

The asbestos portion of the project entailed the abatement of hazardous asbestos tar paper and slate shingles on the roof of the building, the removal and proper disposal of 94 windows and sashes containing asbestos glazing compound and then vacuuming out the window wells for any lingering asbestos debris. EnviroVantage also carefully abated all of the asbestos pipe insulation throughout the entire building, took out an asbestos boiler and pulled up all asbestos floor tiles.

The lead paint process included removing the lead paint on all stair components, sandblasting the lead paint off the detailed brick archways in the basement and chemicaly stripping the lead paint off of the old oven doors. Other hazardous material clean up involved the proper removal and disposing of PCBs and light bulbs.
The rest of the project consisted of selective interior and exterior demolition, and clean-up of the entire construction site along with recycling all materials possible. EnviroVantage took down two old brick chimneys, and cut out an elevator pit and expanded the opening. Other interior demo tasks included removing the brick supporting wall on the first floor, and demolishing the wood supporting wall on the 2nd floor. The crews also cut 200 linear feet of trenching for the plumbing line, as well as removing two concrete ramps and two concrete stairways down in the basement.

EnviroVantage finished by gutting all interior walls, essentially stripping the building bare in preparation for the conversion into the senior living apartments. The crews were able to efficiently recycle all concrete, radiators, piping and even 27 tires from the school's playground.
As with every EnviroVantage job, this project was monitored by EnviroVantage's own safety officer, Keith Ronalter. His job responsibilities included being on the watch to eliminate any potential accidents or unnecessary hazards and to steer clear of any OSHA violations. The cross-trained, famous yellow shirted crews effectively took all necessary precautions to complete the job safely by wearing protective Tyvek suits and respirators, and setting up the proper containment to keep all floating dust and fibers from flying free, infecting the public and damaging the environment.
EnviroVantage successfully provided Ricci Construction with a safe, freshly cleaned building that now passes all required inspections and clearance criteria. The rest of the conversion is currently still under way and is scheduled for completion by June.

Frank Ronan is the business manager at EnviroVantage, Epping, N.H.