NORWICH – In a special meeting of the Norwich City School District Board of Education on Friday, the board approved $31,990 to remove asbestos found in Norwich Middle School during the course of construction.

Traces of asbestos was discovered in caulking found in ductwork being removed in two areas of the middle school. “It is necessary to remove the asbestos in order to move the project forward,” said Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan.

Board member Kathleen Coates questioned why the asbestos had not been identified during the pre-inspection of the site. According to O’Sullivan, the hazardous material was discovered by workers during the deconstruction of several walls. He does not anticipate any additional asbestos being found. “We are on the tail end of demolition work,” said O’Sullivan.