County foots mold bill

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County foots mold bill

http://www.nyjournalnews.com/newsroom/080604/a0106mold.html

By KEITH EDDINGS

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: August 6, 2004)

VALHALLA — Westchester Community College temporarily shut its main

classroom building, a day-care center and one floor of the library

during the past year because of mold infestations that cost more than

$600,000 to eradicate.

The disruptions caused by the shutdowns were most severe at the

Virginia Marx Children's Center, where children, staff and student

interns were moved to another building that posed problems, including

overcrowding and a persistent sewage leak into a classroom. The day-

care program moved back to the original building in June, after the

mold was removed and the building was rehabilitated, which took seven

months.

The upset was less severe in the library, where only basement offices

were infested with mold, and in the classroom building, a three-story

structure with a five-story annex, both of which were completely shut

down, college spokesman Hennessey said. The buildings were

closed for a week last summer when classes were not in session, and

no major reconstruction was required.

Yesterday, the Westchester County contracts board approved the last

payment from the county's self-insurance fund to pay for the $221,660

remediation at the day-care center, which serves up to 80 children.

Parents said the mold was allowed to fester for several years at the

day-care center while the college responded with only patchwork

repairs as leaks flowed through the building. They said the leaks

could be traced to a faulty design of the building, which opened in

1997 without leaders or gutters.

" The leaks were evident and they were continuous, and that went on

for a long time before they tested the building and found the mold, "

said nne Ventrice of Valhalla, who has twins at the center. " So

you have to think if they addressed the problems with the design of

the building, it wouldn't have happened. "

Hennessey said leaders and gutters were installed, and the roof was

repaired at the day-care center as part of the recent renovations,

but he refuted the suggestion that the college was negligent or

inattentive to the leaks as the mold was spreading.

" There had been intermittent leaks, " he said. " We fixed it when we

could, and we realized after the mold situation was discovered that

we had to fix the roof. "

The stachybortrys mold, also known as black mold, found at the day-

care center can produce " certain toxins under certain circumstances, "

according to a publication on treating mold in schools and commercial

buildings produced by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

The risks are greatest for people with pulmonary problems or

suppressed immune systems, such as people who have AIDS or who are

being treated for cancer, said Dr. Roslynn Glicksman, an acting

deputy commissioner of the Westchester County Health Department. For

people in good health, exposure to molds usually causes only

wheezing, sneezing and other symptoms similar to those brought on by

the flu or hay fever, Glicksman said.

" We recommend that anybody exposed in home or at work see their

doctor, " Glicksman said.

One college employee filed for workers' compensation because of

exposure to the mold, although Hennessey could not say whether the

claim was awarded. Costa, who represents the county unit of the

Civil Service Employees Association on health and safety issues, said

the union did not file complaints related to the mold and credited

the college for responding " expediently and professionally. " The

union represents 300 workers at the college.

Parents said the need to move the child-care center while the mold

was eradicated caused them seven awful months. Besides the leaking

sewage, they said, overcrowding in the temporary facility meant

children could not be promoted to different age groups as they got

older, which they said could have hindered development.

" It's upsetting to pick up your kids and see them in overcrowded

classrooms, and the reason the classes are combined is because

there's literally poop — if you want to talk in a 2-year-old's

language — on the floor in the room next door, " said Debbie Kaminer

of White Plains, who has 2-year-old twins at the day-care center.

Hennessey said it took plumbers several visits to find the cause of

the leak, which they eventually traced to a bottle stuck in a pipe.

He said the classroom was reopened after each visit, then emptied

each time the sewage resurfaced. Meanwhile, a frozen pipe burst and

cut off water to the boiler in the original building as the mold

remediation was going forward, causing $18,800 in damage.

Hennessey said the mold infestation at the library was caused by a

buildup of moisture caused by a blocked drain and was not related to

recent construction at the building, which doubled its size. The mold

at the classroom building resulted from moisture that collected in

material above the ceiling tiles.

Marchetti, a spokesman for the state Office of Children and

Family Services, could not say yesterday if the agency cited the

center for the mold infestation, sewage leaks or the alleged

overcrowding. Instead, he said, the agency " worked closely with the

provider to facilitate a move of locations and to monitor that they

remained in compliance with regulations at both sites. "