Removing asbestos from the old Blacksburg Middle School and adjacent buildings to prepare the way for demolition could cost as much as $400,000, according to a report released this week by Montgomery County.

Vinton-based engineering firm Baratta & Associates Inc. reported "sufficient asbestos" in the vacant middle school's floor tiles, roof, laboratory countertops, plaster, window caulking, carpet glue and glue that holds chalkboards to the walls.

The county must hire contractors to design a plan and remove the hazardous material if officials want to demolish the school and sell the property, as administrators have said they would like to do.

Asbestos removal will cost about $256,000, according to Baratta & Associates' report. This figure includes removing the material from the middle school building for $220,000 and from an adjacent building for $36,000.

HDH Associates PC of Christiansburg designed the removal plans for $7,500. Having another company monitor the removal could cost an additional $24,000 to $133,000, according to the report.

"Things are moving along on a pretty good track to do whatever's going to be done with this property," county spokeswoman Ruth Richey said.

Asbestos control is heavily regulated by state and federal law. Specially licensed workers will enclose areas with asbestos in airtight plastic sheeting before removing the materials, inspector Mike Baratta said.

The workers then will wet any asbestos-containing fixtures that may break apart into dust, like ceiling tiles, to prevent the fibers from becoming airborne, he said. Then they can remove the asbestos.

Asbestos, a lightweight, durable construction material made from minerals, is only harmful if its fibers are disturbed and people breathe them in, Baratta said.

The fibrous material can cause serious lung diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma, a cancer of lung and chest membranes, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Once workers remove the asbestos, which should take a month or two, Baratta said the county may hire another company to raze the buildings.

If approved by county officials, asbestos should be removed in November or December, said Brian Hamilton, director of the county's Economic Development Authority, which is managing the middle school property.

Demolition then is on track for before year's end, and there is no firm estimate on demolition, Hamilton added.

The board of supervisors has not voted yet to fund asbestos removal or demolition. The board also has not decided whether to rezone and sell the property, which is currently valued at more than $4 million.

Though the county owns the school and its grounds, proceeds from a sale would go toward the school system.

Baratta & Associates also found minimal amounts of lead paint at the building, according to a separate inspection report.

Small amounts of lead paint on fixtures such as windows and exterior doors will not need abatement before demolition, Baratta said. The lead paint would need special care if officials chose to renovate the building instead, he said.

Baratta's inspections cost the county $30,000, Hamilton said.