Mold removal ongoing at Nixon Elementary

October 26, 2002

Mold removal ongoing at Nixon

By McElvain

The Gazette

Friday, October 25, 2002, 9:18:58 AM

HIAWATHA -- Sheila Reynolds thinks air quality problems at her son's school,

Nixon Elementary, have contributed to problems associated with 10-year-old

Ian's recently diagnosed asthma. Reynolds was one of about 20 parents who

attended a briefing last night by the Indoor Air Quality Committee, which

has been meeting for more than a year to address mold and air quality

concerns at Nixon.

" The health of our students is very important to us, as is the health of our

staff, " said Nixon Principal Kay Coe.

Dave Dvorak, manager of buildings and grounds for Cedar Rapids schools, said

there was some mold growth at Nixon over the summer, but it's been

neutralized by decreasing the relative humidity inside the building.

Mold grows when the relative humidity is at or above 60 percent, he said.

To dry the air, the building is heated to around 120 degrees over the

weekend.

The relative humidity at Nixon was below 30 percent when Dvorak checked it

Wednesday.

Dvorak said there are two classrooms now that have mold in the ceiling, but

he plans to remove some insulation and solve that problem over Thanksgiving

when the students are gone.

Nixon is not alone in its mold problem, Dvorak said. This year he's also

been dealing with a similar issue at Van Buren Elementary School in Cedar

Rapids.

Viola Gibson Elementary, a new school in Cedar Rapids, had mold problems

when it first opened because of wet construction materials and moisture from

scrubbing floors, Dvorak said.

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