Asbestos Warnings Posted, Tarps In Place At Park Site In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Tarps were put in place over several parts of the property at the Clifton Avenue property that Toms River plans to turn into a park with a playground as state agencies continue to investigate at the site.

The tarps were added Saturday, a day after signs and caution tape warning of asbestos contamination were posted at the site. The signs and tarps were after work at the site was shut down, and entrances to the area were tied off with tape warning of the presence of asbestos.

Black cloth fencing also was in place along the edge of the property on Batchelor Street and Clifton Avenue.

Thomas Wright, a spokesman with the state Department of Labor, said the investigation at the property at 554 Clifton Ave. was continuing.

Trucks from Guardian Contracting, a licensed asbestos removal contractor, remained at the site Friday evening. During the day, workers dressed head-to-toe in protective gear were seen working at the site.

"We can confirm NJDOL teams are on site, but we cannot provide any further details due to the ongoing investigation," Wright said.

The demolition at the site began Monday, and on Tuesday concerns ramped up, with social media postings about what was happening at the property. Videos shared with Patch show clouds of debris as the home was being demolished.

You can view the videos here and here.

Brian Lippai, a spokesman for the Ocean County Health Department, said the county was no longer part of the investigation, and that state agencies are overseeing it.

"The CEHA transportation oversight unit (TOU) will enforce transport and disposal issues and the DOL will enforce procedure issues and any soil remediation that may be needed moving ahead," Lippai said. CEHA stands for County Environmental Health Act, and is administered by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

What remained unclear on Friday is how much debris may already have been disposed of. The Ocean County Landfill in Manchester, which is privately owned, is where Toms River takes its municipal garbage collection. Voicemail messages left for its vice president, John Fink, have not received responses.

The landfill is licensed to accept asbestos-containing materials, but according to the NJDEP, there are procedures that must be followed, including material being wet down to prevent the fibers from becoming airborne if the asbestos is broken, and requirements to wrap items such as asbestos shingles in plastic to contain fibers if they are broken.

The house at 554 Clifton Ave. was built in 1910, and according to the property listing on Redfin.com had an asbestos exterior. A second home on the property, at 525 Batchelor St., had a wood exterior, according to Redfin. That home was built in 1971, when asbestos was still commonly used in many aspects of home construction.

Work at the 4.3-acre site that Toms River purchased in late 2023 for just under $2 million started on Oct. 14 but was halted on Wednesday. Mayor Daniel Rodrick said the engineering plans for the park, including a state-of-the-art playground, were still being finalized in preparation for seeking bids on the work. He said the town has received a $750,000 grant to fund the construction, which he anticipated would begin in the spring.