| Federal and state environmental agents have interviewed the former city engineer and his assistant about the city's handling of two demolition projects involving asbestos, a person with knowledge of the matter said. The emergency razing of 4-6-8-10 King St. in August 2013 and the tearing down of buildings at the King Fuels site in South Troy this year have drawn the attention of criminal investigators from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The agents asked Russ Reeves, the former city engineer, and Barbara Tozzi, a former city engineering assistant, about the circumstances of the work and the handling of asbestos, the person, who wished to remain anonymous, said. The agents also queried Reeves regarding the nature of relationships at city hall and the involvement of individuals in the projects. Stop-work orders were issued for both demolition projects by the state because of concerns about procedures for dealing with asbestos in the 19th-century structures. The questions were similar to those asked by the FBI when one of its agents interviewed Reeves earlier this year. The state Labor Department also has investigated the asbestos removal. The city's request for proposals for the development of the Scolite site on the Hudson River in South Troy also was discussed in the latest interview, the person said. Reeves resigned as city engineer, saying that city officials were not concerned about public safety when the... |
