Task force to study needs vs. mold

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Article Last Updated: Friday, July 01, 2005 - 10:07:03 AM EST

http://www.harvardhillside.com/Stories/0,1413,108~5342~2947246,00.htm

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Task force to study needs vs. mold

By M.E.

HARVARD -- This is not the first time the Board of Health and the

School Committee have had a flap over carpets.

First it was wet carpet at Bromfield School that the health board

ordered removed and replaced. Now it is the Harvard Elementary

School (HES) that is under fire, and only half the battle is over.

The Bromfield issue has been laid to rest. Vinyl tile now covers the

floor of the science wing hallway where the carpet, which

accidentally got wet during construction, was removed.

Across the street at HES, one flap is about to be resolved, but

another seems destined for a long siege.

In all three cases, the culprit is the same: mold. And again there

is disagreement between the two boards on how to solve the problem.

The upshot is that while one carpet issue at HES is about to be

resolved, another remains.

Reporting on the matter at the school board meeting Monday night,

Superintendent Mihran Keoseian said carpet removal -- in parts of

the school other than the kindergarten wing -- was set to start.

He said a carpet and tile company from East Longmeadow has been

retained for the purpose and was on site last week. The company's

work schedule, due this week, should show a summer timetable aimed

at completing the work before school opens in September, he said.

Noting the cost of the work may exceed the amount town meeting

voters have authorized to pay for it, he said there is money in the

Shaw Trust to cover the balance. The work meets trust parameters, he

added.

Board member Willie Wickman was not so sure, but she sided with her

colleagues when a motion was made to approve the use of Shaw Trust

funds, if appropriate, and if necessary. The vote was unanimous.

Chairman Wormser had an answer, of sorts. " We have not chosen

to take any specific action, " he said.

Task force

Meantime, a task force is taking shape, the aim of which is, in

part, to compile " sheafs " of documentation that already exists, from

scientific data cited in previous studies to remediation that has

been performed. The ultimate goal is to come up with a way to

address the issue that will satisfy the stakeholders.

School board member Mark Hardy has agreed to assemble the group.

The task force idea aligns with -- but does not come from -- a

proposal from the Harvard Teacher's Association (HTA) to form a task

force, submitted in a letter to the school board two weeks ago.

Citing a significant mold problem in the kindergarten wing, the

teachers say there is plenty of proof it is a health risk and that

they do not want to wait for a new building to have the problem

solved.

The board, for its part, has said HES is a deteriorating structure

that may soon require replacement and may not be worth investing in

now.

Until a long-term facilities plan can be developed, perhaps in

conjunction with town center planning, the board favors less costly

mitigation methods, some of which have already been done. For

example, new downspouts were installed and a parking lot regrade

last year direct water away from the building.

In addition, vents and fans were installed in a crawl space under

the building where mold tends to thrive.

Other measures include regular testing of the air quality, which

Hardy has said is normal at present.

But for every study the school board has cited to defend its wait-

and-see stance, the teachers have countered with different data that

suggests the opposite.

According to the HTA, cost should not be the central issue.

At the June 13 school board meeting, second-grade teacher and HTA

president Diane Temple, who retired this year after more than 20

years with the Harvard schools, presented the letter from the HTA

calling for the task force. The letter was also sent to other town

boards.

K-wing task force

Reporting on the progress of his efforts to form a task force, Hardy

said his aim is to assemble representatives from boards of health,

selectmen and other groups, including the HTA, school

administrators, HES School Council, Town Center Planning Committee

and community members at large.

As others, including the superintendent, made suggestions on who to

include, one board member cautioned against the group getting too

big. Wickman wondered, as well, at what point, if any, the charge of

the task force would intersect with facilities needs.

Wormser suggested the possibility of tapping the expertise of parent

volunteer , who works for an environmental firm.

But before doing so, he said the purpose of the task force should be

pinned down.

Hardy agreed to come to the next meeting with a definitive answer to

that question.