WATERTOWN: Mold, birds sully Town Hall

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WATERTOWN: Mold, birds sully Town Hall

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Waterbury Republican American - Waterbury,CT

BY JONATHAN SHUGARTS

http://www.rep-am.com/story.php?id=19029

WATERTOWN -- After all it's been through, venerable Town Hall now

must contend with bird droppings and mold.

The town has until Feb. 26 to rid Town Hall to clean the messes

after an inspection by the state Department of Labor's Division of

Occupational Safety and Health in December resulted in two

violations.

The first was based on an accumulation of bird droppings found on

the second floor that were probably the result of birds that entered

through the ventilation system, according to the findings of the

inspection.

Another violation was issued to the town after inspectors found mold

in basement vaults that hold town records that include old grand

lists and land deeds.

No other citations were issued by OSHA for the rest of the building.

The state didn't levy a fine against the town for the violations,

but has instead given it until Feb. 26 to fix the problems. The town

could contest the findings of the citations, said T. Palo,

Connecticut OSHA director.

" Our goal is not to penalize people at this point, " Palo said. " What

we want to do is solve this problem. "

Town Manager A. Frigon said the town would take care of the

violations, but admitted the 113-year-old building is not in great

condition. He said the ventilation system would be opened, so

screens could be installed to stop birds from entering. The records

in the basement would likely be cleaned, then moved to another

location, he said.

" The Town Council has made it their priority to somehow mitigate

that situation, " Frigon said.

The violations aren't the first to be issued by OSHA against the

town. In February of 2006, OSHA levied a $210 fine against the town,

when it discovered boxes blocking a rear exit of the building. OSHA

also cited the town at the same time for failure to prevent leaks

entering the building and to remove wet material, which could have

contributed to elevated levels of fungal growth.

The inspection was the result of a complaint lodged by Town Clerk

Virginia , who has been on medical leave since last February.

filed an initial complaint with the Office of the Attorney

General, who then asked OSHA to inspect the building. has

said she was unable to work as the town clerk because the air

quality in the building was unacceptable due to the mold. Her

husband, , said she has been diagnosed with adult onset

asthma, as well as other ailments.

" The town is basically saying that there is no connection between

her physical condition and the condition of the building, " he said.

also has a pending lawsuit against the Town Council seeking

over $15,000 in damages because she claims she can't return to work.

The council has filed a complaint with the state's attorney's office

in Waterbury asking for to be removed from office.