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Courthouse undergoes mold tests after mishap

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Courthouse undergoes mold tests after mishap

By Matt

The Register-Guard

Published: Thursday, August 25, 2005

http://www.registerguard.com/news/2005/08/25/d1.cr.courthousemold.082

5.p1.php?section=cityregion

Experts are testing for mold and bacteria in the Lane County

Courthouse after a fire-sprinkler drill that went awry two weeks

ago, soaking portions of three floors and disrupting court

operations, a county manager said Wednesday.

A number of courthouse employees have complained of headaches since

the incident, but officials haven't confirmed whether the building

mishap is the reason for them, said Suchart, the county's

management services director.

Water damage can cause mold, a fungus that grows on deteriorated

materials and can cause allergic reactions and other health problems

for susceptible individuals.

advertisement Suchart said test results - expected in the coming

days - should help determine whether mold is the cause of health

complaints in the 47-year-old building.

In the past 10 years, he could recall only one problem with mold,

and it was eliminated, he said.

" The testing results will tell me what may or may not be wrong with

the air or the building materials, " Suchart said.

Experts are testing for all types of bacteria and mold in the air

and in any material that may have been penetrated by water.

Employees who feel ill should contact a doctor and identify the

cause of the problem, he added.

When the county tests fire sprink- lers in the courthouse, 125 E.

Eighth Ave., the water is directed to overflow valves on the roof to

keep building interiors and employees dry. Water normally drains to

gutters, but during the test Aug. 12, water flowing toward the

drains went through a 6-by-8-inch hole that had been cut for an

antenna.

Suchart didn't have a cost estimate for the incident Wednesday, but

Court Administrator Factor described the extent of the damage:

Water seeped into the second, third and fourth floors of the

northeast corner of the courthouse, collecting in Judge Lyle

Velure's chambers, as well as staff areas, jury rooms and hallways,

he said.

Employees have complained of odors, headaches and " bloodshot, watery

eyes, " Factor said.

Velure's courtroom has been closed and the noise of drying equipment

is a nuisance in a building that stays busy even during summer when

some employees are on vacation, Factor said.

In 2001, after Commissioner Weeldreyer reported feeling ill,

air-quality tests were done at nine locations throughout the county

office complex, which is part of the same building that houses the

courthouse.

The tests did not show abnormally high levels of spores.

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