Plympton offices to move for mold removal

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Tues., Sept. 13, 2005

Brockton Enterprise - MA

Plympton offices to move for mold removal

http://enterprise.southofboston.com/articles/2005/09/13/news/news/new

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By Janice Nickerson, Enterprise correspondent

PLYMPTON — A special town meeting will be required to raise $38,000

to fund a remediation program to remove mold that was found last

month at the Plympton Town House.

Town offices on the lower level will move to a 50-foot trailer in

the Town House parking lot and a second trailer will be brought in

for storage of records.

Board members approved use of the first trailer as temporary offices

for the Planning Board and building inspector.

Employee and public access to contaminated sections of the Town

House were restricted in August.

On Aug. 8 and 17, testing was conducted and it was suggested that

the entire bottom floor of the Town House should have HEPA air

filtration devices installed and barriers of polyethylene sheeting

to prevent the mold from spreading.

The public will have access to the temporary trailer, but sanitary

facilities within the Town House will be used by employees,

selectmen said Monday.

The building inspector will be sent written notification of the

request by the board that he occupy the trailer to allow the public

to have access to the building department.

According to selectmen, that department has not been functioning for

the last month.

The mold remediation program will require a special town meeting to

approve the allocation of $32,700 and another $8,000 for abatement

of asbestos, according to Selectman ph Freitas.

Filters and other expenses relating to both procedures will cost

$800 for the initial containment of the problem areas and a $30 a

day rental fee for each of three HEPA air systems.

The molds, with some labeled as " rare concentrations, " were found in

the Board of Health office, Building Department and in an adjacent

hallway. They were identified after samples were taken by American

Environmental Consultants Inc., and evaluated by EMSL Analytical

Inc. of Wallingford, Conn.

Other offices found to have mold fungus spores of many types

included the lower level records room and the Planning Board office

and meeting room.

Concentrations of many molds were found in several other areas,

including the lobby, auditorium and boiler room as well as the

auditorium duct work, entrance areas and the police chief's office.

Offices throughout the building were inspected by McCaffrey

for AEC.

The mold spores discovered, penicillium, cladosporium, chaetomium

and curvularia, are suspected of causing asthma, hay fever and

respiratory infections.

Recommendations for the remediation are for the source of moisture

to be traced and corrected. Possible structural corrections include

repairs to drainage outside the building, leaking pipes, plaster,

sheet rock, insulation and suspended ceiling tiles.

The recommendation also suggested that an Emergency Waiver from the

Department of Environmental Protection be sought to facilitate

removal of asbestos from a pipe wrapped in both asbestos and

fiberglass.

A letter signed by some employees of the Town House was read by

selectmen into the public record Monday. Employees said they have

not yet been notified if there is a problem in their particular work

spaces or if there is a health risk to them by working in the Town

House.