Is Bayou Contracting irresponsible?

From the Rebuilding-Lakeview mailing list:

Today, I realized that the contractor was sanding to bare wood with a rotary sander the house two doors down from me. This house is over 80 years old, so there is a good possibility there is lead paint involved. The wind was blowing and I sat and watched billows of fine lead dust scatter all over the place. I have two young children, and this is a very harmful health hazard. I called the guy who was sanding the house and expressed my concern. He either didn't speak English or simply didn't care about what I was saying, because he just walked away and continued sanding. I then contacted Bayou Contracting at the 342-4736 number. I expressed my concerns to the lady who answered the phone, who said she was the owner of Bayou. She told me I should just close my windows. I told her that I already had closed my windows, but that there was a law against this, and that they should follow the law by creating a plastic barrier so that the dust did not scatter into my yard. She then asked me how I knew the paint was lead, she asked me if I had the paint tested. I told her I didn't have to have the paint tested, the house is old with many layers of paint and it was THEIR responsibility to have the paint tested. I told her that violating this ordinance could have them shut down on this job. She laughed and said "Let's see if you have the power to do that, then!" and she promptly hung up on me.

I've contacted Bayou Contracting to see if they have a response to this complaint.

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