Mold returns to Kings High; district scrambles to kill it

August 5, 2005

Friday, August 5, 2005

By D.

Enquirer staff writer

The Cincinnati Enquirer

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DEERFIELD TWP. - Mold is back at Kings High School, and school

officials are scrambling to get rid of it before classes start later

this month.

For the second consecutive year, potentially harmful mold has been

discovered in the Warren County high school, but Kings

Superintendent Mason said he is confident a private firm

hired to test and clean up the problem will be done by the first day

of school Aug. 23.

" We have a humidity issue at the high school and it's a systemic

problem in parts of the building, " Mason said of the school at 5500

Columbia Road in Deerfield Township. " We discovered it during our

summer cleaning. "

There have been no reports of illnesses among students or staff, he

said, related to exposure to the mold, which was discovered in the

drop ceilings and walls of a handful of classrooms.

In August 2004, inadequate venting after carpet cleaning in the

school's auditorium led to its temporary closing as mold infestation

was removed. Since 2001, the school had two other smaller incidents

of mold infestation, usually resulting - as in the most recent case -

from inadequately insulated piping.

Mason estimated the mold remediation to date has cost the district

about $100,000.

He said the district has hired a Cincinnati-based firm specializing

in mold testing and remediation to begin work on the areas that

testing has shown have too much moisture in the air or show evidence

of mold growth.

E-mail mclark@...

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