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Poinciana High School - Classrooms declared unsafe because of mold

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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.

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