Mold forces fire station to shut down

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Mold forces fire station to shut down

By Joe , Rocky Mount Telegram

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Rocky Mount has one less fire station in operation.

Fire Department officials have temporarily closed Fire Station No. 6

on Rowe Drive near the intersection of U.S. 64 and Wesleyan

Boulevard.

" We detected some mold out there, so we just went on and closed it

down, " said Fire Chief Ken Mullen. " We're going to do some

renovation work. "

Mullen said the mold was discovered in February, but no firefighters

got sick.

" We were having some water infiltration into that stucco that was on

the building, " he said. " The people that were doing the work for us

said we would probably need to be out of there before it got to be a

constant temperature of springtime. "

Mullen said the department plans to set up a mobile unit next to the

station until the renovations are completed in nine to 12 months.

The city council last week |ap-

proved hiring Appian Consulting Engineers, which has offices in

Rocky Mount and Raleigh, to draw up plans for the renovations at a

cost of nearly $30,000.

" All of the stucco will be removed, " Mullen said. " They've also

recommended wallpaper coverings be removed and replace that with

paint on the interior. And we'll be doing some roof work as well. "

Mullen said the roof work will involve creating a slope to make it

easier for water to flow off the roof to prevent leaks. He expects

the plans will be finished in four to six weeks, and then bids will

be sought.

Mullen said the department has still been able to respond to the

area. Equipment |at |Station No. 6 has been relocated to other

stations.

" We've converted some of our other areas to be able to take some of

(station) 6's fringe areas, " he said.

Mullen said he expects the council to vote on the mobile unit at

their next meeting at 4 p.m. May 23. He said if it's approved, he

hopes to have it open within two weeks.

Appian officials estimate that construction work on the station will

cost more than $370,000, but the final amount will depend on the

bids.

Rocky Mount has seven fire stations.