The Moorpark College bookstore was closed and renovated this month for the removal of asbestos floor tiles and was reopened on April 15.

The tiles, which were in the Bookstore’s office area, are non-friable, meaning that the asbestos contained within was not airborne and presented no risk to students in the building.
The asbestos removal company sealed off the area so no exposure could occur.

“The buildings were built in the 60’s and 70’s,” said Ray De Julio, the vice president of business services at Moorpark College. “Since the asbestos was in the floor tiles, we are required to have an asbestos removal companytake care of it. So we decided to close the store plus a day or two to have the work done.”

Asbestos was popular in the late 19th century due to its ability to resist heat, electricity and chemical damage, along with sound absorption and tensile strength. It has been known to cause mesothelioma (lung cancer) and asbestosis through the inhalation of the asbestos fibers.

The company that did the asbestos removal was V.A.C Environmental and Demolition Construction Inc., part of the Ventura Asbestos Control.


John Sinutko, the chief of maintenance at Moorpark College, supervised the repairs to the store.
“After the asbestos was removed, the renovation of the bookstore went smoothly.”
The college has completed other renovations of the book store. In the Fall 2008, the text book space was expanded.
Since the store is open during the better part of the year, the school upgrades one part of it at a time.

Darlene Melby, Moorpark College’s business manager, sent out an email to all of the VCCCD users stating the time that the store would be closed.

“The office now has new carpet and new paint applied to the walls,” said Melby. “The remodeling was really needed and we were closed over spring break anyway.”