Verdugo Rec Center roof project includes lead abatement

Crews over the last week have been performing lead abatement on the roof of the Verdugo Recreation Center as part of a $140,000 roof replacement project, city officials said.

The lead abatement process will likely continue for the next week before a separate contractor will come in to replace the roof of the 66-year-old building, said Public Works Director Bonnie Teaford.

“They do all these removals in a certain way to make sure they don’t become airborne,” she said.

The recreation center and the Verdugo Aquatic Facility, which are housed in the same building, as well as the pool and adjacent tennis court, will be closed until Oct. 6 to give crews full access to the site to perform the upgrades.

“We just want to make sure the contractors can get in and get all the work done safely,” Teaford said.

The project has been on the books since last fiscal year, but the public works department didn’t have the personnel resources to oversee the project until now, Teaford said.

Crews are also encapsulating a small amount of asbestos in the lower section of the roof, Teaford said.

Aquatics programming has been moved to the McCambridge Park Pool, which is open for lap swimming all week and recreational swimming on the weekends. Fall recreation classes were moved to the Verdugo Lower Assembly Building, the Log Cabin and the Olive Recreation Center.