The Site is located on 215 Chandler Street at the intersection of Bridgeman Street. It consists of an unoccupied, abandoned two-story brick building believed to be approximately 100 years old. Universal Precision Machine and Welding Corporation and the property owner of record, Combined Supply and Equipment Company, utilized the building. It is believed that the latter was a foundry supply company and the former, a machine shop conducting contract machining, die casting, and other repairing and rebuilding services. Combined Supply and Equipment Company operated at the Site beginning in 1941. The owner died in October 2005 and the workers reportedly left and closed the building.
The NYSDEC Division of Environmental Remediation visited the Site recently and observed an estimated 1,000 containers ranging in size from small cans to 55-gallon drums. The containers, both labeled and unlabeled, were observed to be in poor condition and some were leaking. The containers reportedly included paint and paint-related materials, solvents, corrosives, and unknown materials. Two electrical transformers were also observed, as was damaged pipe insulation reported to be asbestos. Access to the second floor was reportedly limited due to the collapsing roof on the second floor. The City of Buffalo secured the doorway since it had been vandalized.
The Site is located in a mixed industrial, commercial and residential neighborhood. The building makes up the entire Site. There are sidewalks on Chandler and Bridgeman Street that are actively used by residents in the area. A vacant lot, formerly the Buffalo Weaving Site, is located across Chandler Street to the north; to the east, south, and west are residences; and to the west on Chandler Street, are commercial businesses. The closest residence to the Site, situated less than five feet away from the Universal Precision building, is on Bridgeman Street. There are approximately 400 residences situated within a quarter-mile radius of the Site. The closest school is located within 0.4 miles of the Site.
On August 18, 2010, On-Scene Coordinators from the Removal Action Branch conducted a site visit as part of the removal assessment. An entry was made into the building to assess the conditions. The first floor shows evidence of vandalism. Containers of varied sizes are scattered throughout the first floor. Rainfall is entering the building from the open roof area on the second floor and seeping throughout the remainder of the structure. The wooden floors are damaged, soft, and/or have buckled in places. There is also evidence of widespread mold and moss on the floors and other objects. A concrete slab is reported to be beneath the structure. Evidence of oily, discolored material is present beneath some of the wood floor boards.
During the entry, hundreds of containers of varying size were observed on the first floor. Container labels that could be observed on the first floor indicated the presence of a variety of labeled flammable solvents, including methylene chloride, methyl ethyl ketone and acetone. Some of the containers have open tops, and/or material on the drum top that has oozed or spilled out of the container. A storage room in the center of the structure, containing approximately 125 small containers, many of which were rusted and leaking, is damaged from water seepage from the second floor. The floor, walls, and shelves are coated with material from these containers and/or others potentially stored on the second floor. Two electrical transformers were also observed with most of the dielectric fluid not present in the units. The transformers and electrical equipment in this area along the western wall have been scavenged. Two windows on the west side of the building are open and provide accessible points into this area.
Observations were very limited on the second floor due to the roof collapses. At least 100 containers of varying size, including metal, plastic and wooden drums were observed scattered throughout the portion of the second floor that was visible. The containers, in some cases, were covered by roof debris and combustible rubbish. Included in these containers was a group of approximately 20, 5-gallon containers labeled as flammable. It would be expected based on observations that other containers may be present on the second floor.
Air monitoring on the first floor with a photo ionization detector (PID), using a 10.6ev lamp, detected organic vapors at a maximum reading of as high as one part per million (ppm) above background. Using an 11.6ev lamp, organic vapor readings were generally 15 to 20 ppm above background throughout most of the first floor, and were detected as high as 70 ppm in some locations near containers and spillage. No significant readings were observed with a flame ionization detector, combustible gas meter, and radiation meter.
Some of the pipes on both floors of the building are encased with insulation that is presumed asbestos containing material (PACM). Much of the insulation has either fallen off the pipes onto the floor or objects below the pipes, or has been damaged. The insulation is exposed to the outside elements via the broken windows on both floors and the damaged roof on the second floor.
The second floor face of the building on Bridgeman Street is leaning inward due to the roof collapses on the second floor. Based on historical aerial photography, the roof has deteriorated and collapsed within the past three years, if not more recently. Many of the windows on the second floor are broken due to vandalism however; several of the window frames are buckling due to the structural stress being imposed by the roof collapses. Large timbers beams that support the wooden roof structure have buckled and in some cases cracked. As a result, a significant portion of the second floor is exposed to the atmosphere. Structural damage has been done to both central and perimeter beams. The timber beams are constructed in such a manner that only a small portion of their ends rests on a support column. The same construction technique is present on the first floor, where a few of the first floor beams appear to be slightly bowed.
