Dehumidifiers used to remove mold, moisture at two schools

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Schools break the mold

Dehumidifiers used to remove mold, moisture at two schools

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By SCOTT BRODEN

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Walter Hill Elementary educators breathed easier Friday after crews

set up several dehumidifiers to alleviate mold and moisture problems.

" It's working nicely, " librarian Faye Nobles said while giving a

phone interview from the K-5 campus on U.S. Highway 231 North

(Lebanon Road) and East Jefferson Pike. " The odor is better. It was

really musty smelling throughout the school. Some of the teachers

told me my library smelled like a locker room. We were burning

candles to try to get a nice fragrance. "

Rutherford County Schools central office also arranged for

dehumidifiers to be set up at Buchanan School at 6050 Manchester

Highway. The equipment will run at both campuses throughout the

weekend before children return for their first full instruction day

Monday, district spokesman said.

System engineers have examined moisture and mold problems at

Christiana Elementary at 4701 U.S. 231 South (Shelbyville Highway),

as well, but that campus was not in need of dehumidifiers, County

Schools Director Harry Gill Jr. said.

All three schools have had new heating and cooling systems installed

within the last year. Hawk Mechanical hired an independent engineer

to examine the equipment for problems, said , adding that the

schools are not dealing with the black mold that poses a health risk.

Buchanan School mother is glad her children can return

to campus Monday after dehumidifiers improved the air.

" I think it's sad we're having to fix something that just got put in

not even a year ago, " said. " I am glad they caught it before

it made some of our kids sick. "

Educators at the schools have had to clean desks, chairs and

materials in classrooms and libraries before children arrived for

registration last week.

" When you moved the books, dust came out, " said Nobles, adding that

some of the pages were curling because of the moisture.

The dehumidifiers are drying the air to take care of the problem,

said Nobles.

" All the moisture in the air caused the metal desks to rust, " Nobles

explained. " The desks are rusted to the floor. They could hardly

move them. The tile floors got so much water on them the desks

rusted inside, outside, all around.

" The tables in the library are not metal, so I didn't have that

problem, " Nobles said.

Walter Hill Elementary has about 50 to 60 desks that have rust,

Principal Butch said.

The district's maintenance department has crews that repair

furniture, but said his school will address the rust

problem.

" They haven't volunteered to come out and do it, and they are aware

of the problem, " said , who plans to purchase some spray

paint to cover the rust.

" They can be repaired, " said. " It's just right on the edge.

We'll get started on it Monday and do a few at a time. You got to do

what you got to do. "

Many of the dehumidifiers at Walter Hill were connected to 55-gallon

garbage cans Friday, and crews had to empty them a few times.

" There's a lot less humidity in this building, " said ,

adding that the school's front office was 10 percent more humid than

the main hallway. " That was because we didn't have a dehumidifier in

the office overnight, so it's working. "

His school had 325 students show up for Thursday's first abbreviated

day, almost a 10 percent increase from the year before. The school

has another 24 children listed as part of the enrollment, but they

didn't show up for the first day. expects some of those

absent to return Monday.

His school will soon add a prekindergarten classroom for 20 more

children.

Originally published August 13, 2005