Fort Bend (TX) to remediate two county buildings

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http://www.herald-coaster.com/articles/2004/02/11/news/news02.txt

Wednesday, February 11, 2004 12:41 PM CST

Funds OK'd for mold remediation in new buildings

By STEPHEN PALKOT

Mold outbreaks in two county buildings led Commissioners Court to approve $55,000 Tuesday for an environmental firm to conduct procedures to remove the mold.Both the Bud O'Shieles Community Center and the Extension Center Educational building in Rosenberg near the fairgrounds face mold outbreaks. Administrative Services Director J.C. Whitten said Powers Environmental performed inspections on the buildings in November and found problems related to drainage in the buildings.Whitten said the environmental firm will remove mold not just on the surfaces of the buildings, but also inside walls."To properly do it, it's not a major job, but you really have to go in there with negative air and clean and do it properly," he said. "We didn't just want to take Clorox and do it."The buildings will also undergo a reinspection by the environmental firm to examine environmental conditions.

The county has also seen potential structural problems with the O'Sheiles building and the Juvenile Education Center near the Sheriff's Office.Whitten said a foundation company suggested foundation repairs for roughly $400,000, but the county hired Walter P. forensic engineering to perform an exhaustive study at $28,000 to verify the source of the problems.Whitten said the county would like to determine the source of the structural problems of the buildings before paying the fees suggested by the foundation company. That study should be available in about 30 days, he said."This is just part of maintaining buildings from time to time," he said.