Mold cleanup on hold til break

[Guest guest]

Posted on Fri, Dec. 01,

Mold cleanup on hold til break

SYLVIA LIM

Herald Staff Writer

Centre Daily Times - Centre County,PA

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/nation/16136520.htm

PALMETTO - Students and teachers must bear a moldy Palmetto

Elementary School for three more weeks before a clean-up team can

attack the problem during the holidays.

The clean-up comes after Manatee County schools officials said they

received about 10 complaints since October.

The complaints also sparked a recent mold and air quality study at

the school, according to records provided to the Bradenton Herald on

Thursday.

" We also did an air sampling where most of the complaints came

from, " said Forrest Branscomb, the district's risk manager. " There

was visible mold. "

When consultants from a Tampa firm went to the school, they found

mold growing on the undersides of work tables and shelves, ceiling

tiles, pipes and even a curtain in the cafeteria, according to the

records.

But air test results showed that the levels of mold spores and

carbon dioxide in the school were at acceptable levels, as

determined by the Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational

Safety and Health Administration and the American Society of

Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Branscomb

said.

The amount of carbon dioxide shows if air is circulating well within

a room, said Dr. Cella, a Bradenton allergist. Indoors, mold

grows in damp areas.

In some rooms at the school, the carbon dioxide levels were found to

be higher than the guidelines, according to records.

When Sullivan went to pick up her son from school on

Halloween, she noticed a smell.

There was a ' " foul odor, " which teachers attributed to mildew, she

said.

Sullivan, whose youngest son suffers from seasonal asthma, said she

began to link her son's frequent attacks, which caused him to miss

12 days of school, to the mold.

" I know of other problems from other parents, their children are

having breathing problems they never had before, " she said. " I think

that they (the district) would be more concerned about the

atmosphere and providing a safe environment for the kids. "

She said teachers have complained about it for four years.

" It's not a new thing, when the time comes around, when people start

getting ill, the thoughts resurfaced, " said Eddie Hundley, the

school's principal.

Cella said mold can cause allergic reactions for some, and breathing

in spores may trigger asthma or cause itchy eyes. Allergies are

treatable with medication, and allergy shots can desensitize some to

certain types of mold.

Officials blamed the mold and air quality problems on the school

itself.

" The school has buildings from three different decades: the 60s,

70s, 80s, " Hundley said.

School officials said they have been working with the city of

Palmetto to buy adjacent land for a new campus. The plan is to

combine those properties with the existing school, tear down the old

one and build a bigger one.

The budget for the land totaled $3.8 million. The school district is

willing to pay $2.2 million and the city will decide whether to foot

the remaining $1.6 million, officials said.

The City Commission may decide on either Dec. 4 or 11 to commit the

funds, said Lukowiak, director of Palmetto's Community

Redevelopment Agency.

The school board may approve the purchase Dec. 11. Once the land

deals are settled, school construction officials said it may take

two years to get the school built.

For now, the problem will have to be remediated. School is out from

Dec. 18 to Jan. 2.

The district may spend up to $30,000 to hire a special crew to clean

the school during the Christmas holidays, and get an extra hand to

help with the everyday cleaning of the school, Branscomb said. It

doesn't make sense to replace the air-conditioning system since the

school will eventually be demolished.

Sullivan said she was glad the district will be cleaning the school.

" That was all I want, was for them to take care of it, " she said.