City to spend at least $3m to rid schools of pests, leaky roofs

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City to spend at least $3m to rid schools of pests, leaky roofs

Cost constraints delay other repairs

By Jan, Globe Staff  |  December 10, 2004

Boston school officials will spend at least $3 million next school year to

rid schools of pests and to contend with leaky roofs, but lack the money to

immediately repair every problem cited in a recent environmental inspection

report, an administrator said yesterday.

The report, posted on the Boston public schools website in October, showed

that 90 percent of the city's public schools had at least one environmental

problem that could worsen asthma or allergies.

Repairing everything at once, from poor ventilation to rodent infestation,

would cost the school system about $200 million; Boston schools expect to

receive only $30 million from the city to pay for building maintenance the next

school year, said Contompasis, the school system's chief operating

officer. It would be unrealistic to try, Contompasis said during a meeting of

the

City Council's education committee.

City councilors urged school officials to use the inspection reports to

prioritize what repairs are needed and report back on what they have fixed.

Schools

also need to inform teachers and principals about the health hazards.

Representatives from the city's Public Health Commission, whose inspectors

investigated 134 Boston school buildings last year, said they hope the schools

will use the data to be more vigilant about maintenance to prevent minor

repairs from becoming serious.

Inspectors found signs of pests, such as mouse droppings, in 71 schools,

according to the report. In the past month, administrators in 10 more schools

have

complained about pests, school officials said.

The 81 schools have submitted pest management plans to the state, said Jeff

Lane, the school system's environmental specialist. It will cost the system

about $1 million next year to solve the pest problem, he said.

The school system has also identified 29 schools that need new roofs, which

cost between $240,000 and $800,000 per building, depending on the facility's

size, Contompasis said. Ten schools reported roof leaks during the last

rainstorm, he said.

The system expects to spend about $2 million next year on new roofs for about

four schools.

Contompasis said the system is committed to fixing every problem and does not

want to use the lack of money as an excuse.

''Parents have every obligation to push the envelope, and we must respond to

them, " he said.

Councilors Tobin and Chuck said they will ask Mayor M.

Menino to increase the capital budget so schools can hasten repairs, but said

they think the problem needs to be addressed at a national level.

At a separate hearing at the Boston Teachers Union Hall last night,

Representative Conyers Jr., Democrat of Michigan, touted a federal bill he

has

sponsored that would provide grants for mold removal in public buildings and

help

schools fix contaminated facilities and improve air quality.

Jan can be reached at tjan@.... 

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