Sebastian Police investigate mold in their station

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Police investigate mold in their station City Public Works employees discovered the spots and removed the section of wall on Monday. By Tony Judnich staff writerApril 27, 2003 Sebastian Police Chief Jim said it appears as if someone rubbed a dark flannel shirt against the wall. Police Capt. Dave Puscher said it looks like mold and causes him breathing problems. City officials have been dealing with alleged air problems at the police station on Main Street since it opened in the early 1990s. Now, they're investigating police headquarters once again. City officials are sending a paint sample and an about 7-by-8-inch piece of drywall, both taken from Puscher's office at the station, to a lab in Tampa to see if small, black spots on the materials are flecks of mold. City Public Works employees discovered the spots and removed the section of wall on Monday, after Puscher told about some peeling paint in Puscher's office. City Human Resources Director Jim Sexton said he was instructed by Rene Salazar, a certified industrial hygienist in Tampa, about what to do about spotted walls at the police station. "If it's found to be mold, we'll find the source of moisture, correct that, clean up the walls with detergent and repaint," Sexton said. "That's our plan of attack. I think we'll probably replace some drywall, too." He wasn't sure when the lab test by Salazar will be done. Puscher's office and other areas that might have mold problems are on the east side of the police station, said. Most of the station seems to be fine, he said. Salazar tested the station's air quality two months ago and, among other things, found: * Indoor and outdoor areas to be very well maintained. * Temperature, relative humidity, carbon monoxide and other indoor environmental parameters to be generally maintained with criteria ranges of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. "He said the air in here was as clean as that in a hospital," said. He said the recent air-quality test cost the city about $3,000 to $4,000.

The old and the new

The police station received a new, computerized air-circulating system after a 1996 inspection by Salazar found plugged outdoor air filters and ducts. Salazar inspected the building in early 1999 and gave it a clean bill of health. In February 2001, Salazar did another inspection and said the building was in good overall health and posed no risks to employees. That report came shortly after about two dozen past and current Police Department employees filed workers' compensation claims with the city's insurer, the Florida League of Cities. The workers alleged the police station was a sick building that caused them to feel dizzy and have sore throats. Some employees had said they had filed previous claims that only fell on deaf ears. Puscher, who is a 23-year-plus veteran of the Police Department, said workers' compensation paid for treatment for his breathing problems — allegedly caused by the police station's poor air — for 10 years until about a little more than a year ago. "That's when I turned down a cash settlement" from the League of Cities, he said. "I wanted continued medical coverage." Puscher said he now is treated by a private physician and continues to seek workers' compensation help. Sexton said he thinks a few of the other people with similar claims settled with the League of Cities, at least one case remains open and the rest have been closed. Cases that have been closed have been shut "because doctors have said their health problems are not related to the building," Sexton said. About 18 employees work inside the station on any given weekday, said. Police Department Records Clerk Pat Lavis, her supervisor Barbara Quinn and Lt. Bob Lockhart said they have not experienced problems with the station's air. said Puscher is the only employee who has complained about poor air. "A few weeks ago we get a report that the building is fine," Puscher said. He pulled a nail out from a document frame on his office wall and inspected the nail's rusted tip. Then he glanced at the hole in the wall where the test sample of drywall was taken from. "The hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on repairs to this building, studies and tests and fighting medical claims...this could have been avoided for the cost of three or four sheets of drywall," Puscher said. City officials plan on spending about $2 million to expand and renovate the police station by late next year. "Most interior walls will be replaced because they don't fit the new plan," said. Puscher said, "I'd just prefer a place that has clean air. I don't care how they get it." - tony.judnich@...

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