Mold closes room in Easton Town Clerk's Office

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Mold closes room in Easton Town Clerk's Office

By: Bill Bittar, Associate Editor05/02/2005

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?

newsid=14454477 & BRD=1653 & PAG=461 & dept_id=12717 & rfi=6

EASTON - A tarp now covers the rear office in Town Clerk

Buckley's office in Town Hall. Stachybotrys, a toxic black mold, was

found inside a wall when workers took it apart to find the extent of

a roof leak.

Buckley has been forced out of his office until remediation and

restoration work is completed. The walls have been stripped and most

of the ceiling has been removed. He is now working in an open area

just beyond the reception area.

" It's unbelievably cramped, " Buckley said. " I'm literally sitting in

an office with desk drawers on the floor. Things are taking up room

in the vault. I actually gave away some furniture so I could fit

[into this office area]. "

Last week, at a Board of Selectmen's meeting, Buckley asked for

$8,656 to fix his office. The board recommended that the Board of

Finance approve the request.

Board of Finance Chairman Partridge said the item will be on

the agenda for the finance meeting Tuesday, May 3, in the Town Hall

conference room at 7:30 p.m. Since it is the first time this fiscal

year that the Town Clerk's Office has made a request for money from

the undesignated fund balance, and because it is less than $20,000,

he said the finance board could approve the request without moving

it to a Town Meeting.

While not commenting on what decision his board may make, Partridge

said he has seen Buckley's office and that the request was not

unreasonable.

Mold problem grows

The problem first surfaced when Buckley found that ceiling tiles

over his desk became discolored after it rained. The roof was still

under warranty, so he had the leak fixed, but then he discovered

that his room smelled in the summer.

Buckley hired Hygenics, a firm based in Stamford, to check out his

office, and the Easton public works director stripped down the wall

and found water had been leaking down it. That's when the mold was

discovered, according to Buckley.

When there is a mold problem, Buckley said, the state requires one

company to design the remediation plan and another to perform the

work.

Of the three companies interested in performing the remediation,

Town Public Health Director Michos said that JP Maguire

Associates, Inc. of Norwalk was highly recommended by the state

Department of Public Health, Buckley said, adding he was also

impressed with the firm. JP Maguire recommended another company, LFR

Levine Frick, to design the plan. The East Hartford company was also

endorsed by the state, according to Buckley.

If the Board of Finance approves the $8,656 request, Buckley said

the job should not take long to complete.

" They could finish in a week from when they start, probably by the

middle or end of next month, " he said. " In the meantime, I'm camping

out. "

©Fairfield Minuteman 2005