Mold closes court house

[Guest guest]

Wouldn't it be nice if all employers and/or building owners/managers were quick

to respond like this... even withOUT proof of mold. Just knowing that people

were sick and there was water damage was enough. Kudos to this guy!!!

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Mold empties annex

Courthouse offices will move to alternative location??

By Monitz

The Standard-Speaker

Luzerne County Courthouse Annex closed in downtown Hazleton Wednesday after a

city inspector found water damage and suspected mold throughout the building, an

administrator said. Sam Guesto Jr., county manager/chief clerk, told employees

that they had to leave the building and asked them to gather personal belongs

after he toured the damaged areas Wednesday afternoon.

He said he considered the water and mold problem to be a life safety issue for

the county's employees and didn't want them exposed any longer.

Guesto hoped to have an alternative location set up by Monday, but until then

people from lower Luzerne County will have to go to the courthouse in

Wilkes-Barre to conduct business, he said.

The affected offices include the Recorder of Deeds, Prothonotary, Juvenile and

Adult Probation, Children and Youth Services, Legal Services, Sheriff's Office,

Assessor's Office and Tourist Promotion.

Guesto asked employees if they had any questions and a woman asked what would

happen to North Penn Legal Services, which isn't affiliated with Luzerne County.

" We're taking you with us, " T. Sharkey, court administrator, said.

" We'll find space for you. "

The county planned to look at office space in the Markle Building, the Broad

Street Business Exchange, the former Dubatto's Restaurant and the Slusser

Building in West Hazleton, Guesto said.

And the move should begin today, he said.

Hazleton City Director of Public Works Dougherty examined the building

after an inspector found the discoloration and some substance on the walls.

" At this point, we're not sure if it actually is mold, " he said. " We'd rather

err on the side of safety and have workers out of the building until tests for

mold are taken. "

Whether or not the substance is mold, county administrators felt the annex was a

sick building. A number of employees suffered from some common symptoms,

including respiratory ailments, allergies,fatigue and nausea, said Sharkey.

On the brief tour, local employees, Sharkey and Guesto looked at cracked paint

on ceilings, peeling plaster, water stains on ceilings and walls, buckled floors

and many, many buckets and cans to catch water.

" I don't need to see anything else, " Guesto said, after being shown a closed

restroom.

But they showed him other areas anyway,including the basement level where

Sharkey said the sewers back up during heavy rains, staining the carpet in the

offices.

Most of the damage comes from a leaking roof, though.

Hazleton Mayor Louis Barletta estimated the roof repair in the city-owned

building to cost between $85,000 to $100,000.

" It's a beautiful building. I would certainly like to see it remain useful in

the downtown area, " he said. " However, the flip side is the city currently

doesn't have the where withal to make necessary repairs. "

The county recently asked the city to switchto a month-to-month lease because it

was evaluating options for the courthouse offices, Guesto said.

Twenty-four county employees are affected by the move, in addition to District

Judge ph Zola and his staff.

Zola went ahead with scheduled hearings Wednesday, but planned to find a

temporary location for his office and courtroom.

Options included moving to another courtin another district, but Zola needed

permission for the move and more information on moving the computer system, he

said.

After Wednesday, no cases would be heard or business transacted until a new

location was established, Zola said. He did have alternatives, he said.

The building at 145 E. Broad St. opened in 1910 as the city's main post office,

a function it served until 1964.

Federal officers, including military recruiters, occupied the building until

1987 when the U.S. government sold it to Hazleton for $1.

Luzerne County leased the building since then and the rental was $56,000 for

last year.

Hazleton spent $182,000 replacing the backsteps and heating system of the

building in the past year.

Assistant Editor Kent contributed to this story.