Fire Chief Spencer Lee said the city hired a private asbestos inspector before moving ahead with planned renovations to the building. The decision to bring in an inspector was made because some firefighters were worried there was asbestos in the South Meeting Street building that could be disturbed by the renovations.  

The inspector, Terry Miller, who is an asbestos cleanup professional in Statesville, said he found two small areas in the building where loose material was falling from the ceiling. One was above a workbench and another was in the station’s stairwell.

Tests showed the material contained 2 percent asbestos, Miller said. He sealed the two areas and said no asbestos was found in air tests afterward.