In Nash County, 15 schools have undergone asbestos abatement in the last five years to rid the buildings of the potentially cancer-causing mineral.
Recently, one of those projects at G.R. Edwards Elementary School has drawn concern from the community.
Other WRAL Top Stories
For five years, Phyllis Bohner has called the corner of Co-Ah-Bar and Hammond Street home.
She says the ordinarily quiet community next to G.R. Edwards Elementary School has been talking since a trailer with the warning "danger asbestos" arrived before the school.
"It was scary looking [with] a big skull and crossbones. It had the name on the trailer. They had one of those huge dumpsters," Bohner said.
When she learned about the asbestos abatement project, she was concerned that she hadn't heard sooner.
"Had we known, we would have chosen to go to a hotel, gone on vacation, or just avoided the area," Bohner said.
Bohner has concerns for her own health and wishes she had received the same notice that people who work at the facility were given.
When WRAL News asked about the project, a spokesperson for Nash County Public Schools said the schools followed North Carolina State Law that does not require notification of community members during an abatement project.
Still, Bohner wishes she would have known.
"I would have liked a notification, either a phone call from the principal or a letter in the mail letting me know of the dates so I could have prepared," she said.
As part of the statement from Nash County Public Schools, the spokesperson said one of the district's top priorities is safety.
"At Nash County Public Schools, the safety and well-being of our students, staff, and community are our top priorities. The asbestos abatement at Edwards Middle School has been managed professionally, adhering to all safety regulations. Eastern Environmental, a certified firm, is handling the abatement, and the state of North Carolina issued the permit. Matrix Health and Safety Consultants are overseeing air clearances."
The district also said it plans to continue to follow state guidelines in the future, but no other asbestos abatement projects are scheduled for any of its schools.
The project at G.R. Edwards Elementary School has wrapped up.