Guest guest Posted October 5, 2002 Report Share Posted October 5, 2002 Classrooms declared unsafe because of mold By Charlie News-Gazette Staff Writer Three classrooms at Poinciana High School have been closed because of moldy conditions caused by poor workmanship when the school was built more than a decade ago, according to Osceola County School District officials. The district will spend $250,000 to clean the rooms that normally house the school's band, chorus and graphic arts students. After complaints from students and their parents about health problems and foul odors surfaced earlier this school year, the district's risk management team declared the buildings unsafe. Potential health effects and symptoms associated with mold exposure include allergic reactions, asthma and other respiratory complaints, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The mold was caused by years of water damage from a leaky metal roof that was incorrectly installed, said , associate superintendent of maintenance and facilities. Weather conditions were relatively dry until this summer when heavy rains brought the problem to a head, according to . Part of the problem was that the district was not aware of the conditions until it was too late, said Pete Caporlingua, a district construction manager. " It just got ahead of us, " he said. The roof has been repaired but it will take another six weeks to replace the air ducts, ceiling tiles and carpet and scrub down all the remaining hard surfaces, officials said. The district called in an environmental health company to assess the problem and help in the cleanup. The company recommended that the district replace almost everything, excluding the furniture and educational equipment, because of the extent of the damage, said. Dehumidifiers are currently removing moisture out of the empty rooms that still have a musty odor. To quell the concerns of parents, the district will bring the environmental company back in after the cleanup to ensure conditions are back up to par, said Caporlingua. " We want to rely on the pros to do the cleanup to give everybody peace of mind, " he said. Principal Brizendine, who has headed the school since its inception in the early 1990s, would not comment and referred all questions to . Built in 1991 for about $16.8 million, Poinciana High has been plagued with problems virtually from the beginning, according to officials. The school was built in three stages with the first phase dedicated to site work for about $460,000. Phase two included the current moldy band, chorus and graphics buildings and other core facilities, including the gymnasium and cafeteria. That phase cost about $7.7 million. Phase three included most of the regular classrooms and the administration building. The district already has spent more than $9 million to repair most of phase three buildings, which originally were built for $8.7 million. The district is still trying to recover damages from an air conditioning manufacturer in an ongoing lawsuit. The district is unable to sue for anything built in stage two because the statute of limitations has expired. A majority of the school's faulty construction, including the current mold problems, were caused by poor workmanship and not defective materials or equipment, according to . However, the district has changed its construction process after Poinciana was built to include construction managers, like Caporlingua, to prevent similar problems in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.