Boston Globe 11/29/02 Aging halls often last on town list

[Guest guest]

No wonder so many people working in municipal/state/federal buildings are sick. Why are they so surprised when people working in these buildings have medical problems? They admit that the upkeep of these buildings is "politically difficult" to address. They then have the nerve to make it difficult for those of us who have had serious medical problems working in these unmaintainted and water-logged buildings.

I just don't get it: You can't have water infiltration problems, not fix the problems, not clean it up and be surprised when you have an onslot of biological growth and occupant illness. You must now clearly see that toxic mold is a problem no matter where it occurs, but it can be an especially serious problem when it occurs in a government building because there is nothing compelling them to fix it. They make a poor case to the voters and taxpayers when they look for money to replace/repair sick government buildings. Would the taxpayers really fight against money spent on replacing buildings that are making the workers and the children sick if they knew that these buildings were robbing people of their health? Don't forget: sometimes taxpayers have to visit these buildings themselves. Don't forget that some of these taxpayers have family members working in these buildings too! Sadly, in the vast majority of instances, those who get sick are oftentimes, while sick, forced to deal with losing their health, their jobs, their careers and futures, their health insurance, and their piece of mind.

Who would ever believe that our "government" employers would put so many of us in harms way and then turn their backs on us when so many of us inevitably get sick, including our children? Can you all see how outrageous this is?

If you don't all support Congressman Conyers, Jr.'s resubmitted legislation to the 108th Congress this January, I just don't know what to say.

We have to get this "dirty little secret" out in the open, deal with it, and go on with our lives.

Don't ever forget that these people work for you. They work FOR YOU. Enough is enough! Toxic mold makes people sick. There is really no mystery to this. Our doctors know this, our military medical personal have known this for a very long time, our insurance companies know this, our government knows this. FEMA knows this; the EPA knows this and the CDC knows this. Little children who don't know toxic mold from popsicles are getting sick. People moving into water-damaged homes or apartments are getting sick. Workers in our government buildings are getting sick. Employees in the private sector are getting sick in their workplaces.

When the US Toxic Mold Safety and Protection Act is refiled with the 108th Congress, you get on your phone and you call your U.S. Representatives and Senators. YOUR ACTION, YOUR CALLS TO YOUR FEDERALLY ELECTED OFFICIALS WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. We are very grateful in Massachusetts. So far, Congressmen Lynch, McGovern, Neal and Olver have joined to support the legislation. When it is refiled, we expect 100% support from the Massachusetts Delegation. We expect no less.

Do not underestimate the power of your call and your vote.

Mulvey son

THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING

Aging halls often last on town list

By Preer, Globe Correspondent, 11/29/2002

Heavy snow last winter was too much for the town hall in Westminster in Central Massachusetts. In late March, a 163-year-old timber that had been supporting the building started to split. The walls and ceiling shifted, and employees were evacuated and not allowed back for three months.

In the southeastern Massachusetts town of Berkley, the town hall has literally been falling apart brick by brick. Two years ago, a custodian was injured by the crumbling facade.

And at Plainville Town Hall, where some employees work shoulder to shoulder, officials recently considered moving some offices into a trailer that the Plainridge Racecourse offered to give the town.

Massachusetts town halls - many of them historic buildings that anchor the center of town - have seen better days. Minimal maintenance and age have taken their toll, leaving some with flooded basements, faulty electrical and heating systems, and bad ventilation. In fast-growing towns in the outer suburbs, greatly expanded municipal work forces are being shoehorned into spaces designed for half as many people.

''There are a lot that are in really bad shape,'' said Frederick W. Todd, a partner in the Somerville firm of HKT Architects Inc., which has specialized in town hall work. ''Town halls and working conditions for town employees tend to be low on towns' lists of priorities.''

During times of tight budgets, fixing up or replacing the town hall almost always takes a back seat to keeping schools open and police on the streets. And, unlike schools, libraries, and senior centers, which are eligible for hefty state grants for construction projects, town halls are not.

Unless a town hall qualifies for state or federal historic preservation aid, the only money a town is likely to get to renovate or replace a decrepit town hall is a small grant to make the building accessible to the handicapped.

''There is state money for schools and libraries, and police and fire stations have their constituencies,'' said on, deputy legislative director for the Massachusetts Municipal Association. ''But if you have a city or town hall that is not an historic building, you are in tough shape.''

To build a new town hall or undertake a major renovation, a town usually has to get voter approval in a referendum to lift the state Proposition 21/2 tax cap.

In 2000, Rehoboth town officials offered voters a $5 million plan to build a new town hall and senior center side by side in the center of town.

The plan, which required an override of Proposition 21/2, failed at the polls. But in the same election, voters overwhelmingly approved a $24 million high school renovation project.

The following year, officials presented a revised senior center plan, which voters approved.

Last year, as state and town finances deteriorated, officials shelved the town hall project altogether.

A 50-year-old former dormitory at a long-abandoned Nike missile base, Rehoboth Town Hall was donated to the town about 30 years ago. Now, its plumbing and heating systems barely work. Power surges have repeatedly damaged equipment used to televise meetings. It's also badly located in a remote corner of the town.

Town halls come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. Many are august 19th century buildings listed on state and national historic registers in towns such as Walpole, Wellesley, and Winchester. Avon Town Hall, meanwhile, is a former shopping plaza, while the town halls in Plymouth, Norwell, and Berlin are converted schools.

Others, including Milton's, are nondescript office buildings constructed in the mid-20th century.

But even when a town hall isn't particularly old or architecturally distinguished, residents are often reluctant to replace an aging landmark with a new building.

''There's not only a sentimental attachment, but also a common-sense prejudice that renovation is going to be cheaper,'' said Todd. ''It isn't always.''

Last year, Braintree selectmen proposed converting a vacant school into a town hall, replacing the overcrowded 1913 building that has been plagued by basement flooding. Consultants estimated that expanding and repairing the existing town hall would cost $2 million more than converting the school. Still, in a nonbinding referendum this spring, voters overwhelmingly supported fixing up the original.

''We, as a community, need to make a distinction between our town house and surplus buildings and properties,'' Braintree Town Clerk ph F. Powers said at a hearing before the town vote.

Still, even in tough times, some towns have managed to find the money and support to repair aging town halls.

Last month, Ashland voters approved a $4 million plan to renovate and expand the 1855 town hall. An earlier plan to demolish the building and construct a new one was defeated last year.

After 40 years of debate and repeated Town Meeting and election defeats, voters in Truro this year finally passed a $3.57 million tax hike to renovate and expand the 1848 town hall.

Truro's seat of government, built as a church meetinghouse and converted to a town hall around the time of the Civil War, has been plagued by a failing septic system and rodent infestations. An employee once found a snake in a public restroom.

With the economic slowdown and expected cuts in state aid next year, fixes for town halls may become even harder to find. ''In the flush times, some [towns] were able to do it, but you are not going to see many more,'' said state Senator L. Hedlund, a Weymouth Republican.

This story ran on page B1 of the Boston Globe on 11/29/2002.

© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.