There is nothing to set off alarm bells like asbestos removal and that is what happened at 455 Smith Street, the big warehouse that quietly became part of the Public Place project earlier this year. It’s being torn down and asbestos removal has been going on for much of July, frightening some residents. City Council Member Bill de Blasio’s District Director Tom Gray left a comment on GL yesterday that neighbors had been informed in advance of the removal, but some in the neighborhood are claimingg they never heard anything and nothing was ever posted at a playground across the street. Per one comment received by GL: “I live across the street from this warehouse and this is the first I’ve heard about asbestos removal. I never received a notice about the removal, nor are there any signs in the park across the street warning about the dangers.” In any case, Mr. de Blasio asked the Department of Environmental Protection to do weekly monitoring of the project, but then, it turned out the company doing the removal said it’s finished with the process. The entire Public Place cleanup, which is going to be huge undertaking given the level of toxicity of the site, is likely to be a contentious issue in the community, particularly in terms of whether residents trust the DEP to do rigorous oversight of the cleanup.