Breaking out of the mold, governor, husband relocate

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Breaking out of the mold, governor, husband relocate

Mansion's ducts, vents get a major overhaul

Monday, August 01, 2005

By Ed

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-

4/112287755552170.xml

BATON ROUGE -- Expensive period furniture and artwork are pushed

aside in stately rooms and foyers.

Holes are cut in ceilings and the tops of walls.

Sweaty work crews bustle in close quarters as air conditioning is

pumped in from outside.

Wires run wild over the four-level building, and dust is everywhere.

The cause of the hubbub: asbestos and mold.

The place: the Governor's Mansion.

So, from the beginning of July until at least the end of August,

Gov. Kathleen Blanco has moved out, and the work crews have moved

in.

Though the mold is not toxic or a health hazard, it could worsen if

not corrected, said Jerry , director of the Office of Facility

Planning and Control, an agency in the governor's office.

Blanco and her husband, Blanco, are ensconced in a fully

furnished 4,900-square-foot property in tony Bocage, south of Baton

Rouge and about 6.5 miles southeast of the Governor's Mansion at a

cost of $5,000-plus a month.

Blanco aides declined to give the home's location or say who owns

it, citing safety concerns.

State Police would not allow news photographers to take pictures of

crews working in parts of the mansion that are not open for public

tours, such as the governor's office space or living quarters.

Records obtained through a public records request by The Times-

Picayune indicate the state is spending almost $739,000 on various

phases of the mansion project:

-- $525,300 to clean or replace an estimated 5,000 feet of ducts and

vents at the 42-year-old building to remove non-toxic mold from the

system.

-- $180,248 to remove asbestos from some parts of the mansion.

-- $33,410 to replace the existing fire alarm system, which was

called obsolete and unreliable.

The work on the project started July 5 and is expected to be

finished by late August or early September, said.

Several property owners and real estate agents submitted quotes for

homes to rent, but the space did not need to be publicly bid because

it is less than 5,000 square feet, said.

Security a priority

said in his letter to Blanco that the two-car garage home

chosen offered the " lowest monthly rental " and is secure. " The rear

exterior of the home and the front entrance is (sic) surrounded

brick fencing, " he said.

Other sites considered for the Blancos included the unfurnished home

of ex-LSU coach Nick Saban, which is on the market for $2.1 million;

the Lod Cook Hotel and Convention center on the campus of Louisiana

State University and a house on the outskirts of Baton Rouge that

rents for $10,000 a month.

In a letter to Blanco in March, said " security capabilities

(at the temporary residence) was a major factor " in choosing the

interim residence. He said the properties had to have space for

security and other gubernatorial staff and be " on gated property or

located within a gated community. "

The home that was rented has more than 3,666 square feet, a swimming

pool and a 1,200-square-foot pool house.

Besides the $5,000-a-month rent, the state is paying utilities and

insurance. The state is also paying to install telephone and

computer lines and eight wireless security cameras. Costs of those

items were not available late Friday.

Blanco spokeswoman Bottcher said State Police have also

installed a temporary guard shack at the south Baton Rouge home.

A copy of the lease was provided by the governor's office Friday,

but the name of the owner, the address and other references to the

home's location were blacked out.

The black flaky mold in the Governor's Mansion started falling out

of vents and ductwork when Gov. Mile was in office.

" You could see the black stuff all over his desk, " said.

But when officials went to with a plan to clean the ductwork

and vents -- which had never been done in the 42-year-old home's

history -- rejected the idea. " He just wanted to put filters

over it, " said.

Homey touches

Blanco was receptive to the idea of a thorough cleaning of the vents

and ducts, although it meant temporary displacement.

said that some of the vents in the Governor's Mansion " were

covered over. "

Other mansion work includes installing a new air-conditioning system

in the basement of the mansion, a unit that had to be custom made to

squeeze into the " tight spaces where the old units are. " He said

parts for the old unit could no longer be bought.

Some of the renovations done during 's eight years in office

are being temporarily disfigured by work crews who have pulled out

some ceilings and have cut into walls.

But Blanco said she is not worried.

" They are working carefully because the furniture is still in the

house, and we have important wall coverings that need to be

protected, " she said. " I am actually enjoying living in a

house. . . . It makes us feel more like real people. The mansion is

a very public place, and it is less like home. "

.. . . . . . .

Ed can be reached at eanderson@... or (225)

342-5810.