Mold forces training dorms to shut down Council on Law Enforcement, Education an

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Mold forces training dorms to shut down

Council on Law Enforcement, Education and Training

NewsOK.com - Oklahoma City,OK*

By Tony Thornton

Staff Writer

http://newsok.com/article/3088359

ADA — Ten months after construction ended, mold has contaminated the

new dormitory that houses cadets of the state police academy.

The mold, found to be growing in 47 of the 68 dorm rooms, forced the

state Council on Law Enforcement, Education and Training (CLEET) to

find alternate housing for more than 100 cadets of an academy that

began July 9.

The extent of mold varies from room to room, CLEET spokesman Steve

Emmons said.

" Some of them, you can see it in the walls, it's in the vents, it's

in the woodwork. Others are just minor spots where you can hardly

tell, " Emmons said.

A cadet reported mold in his room June 21 upon graduating from the

last academy, Emmons said. A subsequent inspection confirmed the

extent of the problem, Emmons said.

" They decided we immediately needed to shut this down, " he said.

Emmons said tests indicated the mold isn't a toxic strain, but it

can cause allergic reactions.

Cadets won't be allowed back until the cause is determined, he said.

" They don't want to clean it and have it come right back, " Emmons

said. " Whatever it is that caused the moisture to form, they have to

get that resolved. "

The matter has been turned over to the state Central Services

Department.

State may bear cost

Dewberry Design Group of Tulsa, which built the dorms, will give

state officials a report Monday that outlines the cause and some

solutions, said Dave Huey, the company's director of architecture.

Initial steps to resolve the problem will be taken Monday and

Tuesday, he said.

Huey declined to release specifics, citing a promise made to the

Central Services Department. He also declined to say who will bear

financial responsibility or how much the remedies might cost.

" We won't know that until all the information is gathered, " said

Gerry Smedley, spokeswoman for the Central Services Department.

She said unless a design flaw caused the mold, the state might have

to pay for repairs and remediation due to a mold exclusion clause.

" Right now I think CLEET is going to pay for remediation, and then

after they get all the reports in from the inspectors, we will be

able to determine whether we can collect on a contractor's bond. But

we're not even close to that, " Smedley said.

She said her agency has dispatched a mold expert, an environmental

consultant and the state construction manager for inspections.

" They can determine whether it was a design error or an equipment

error ... that caused the humidity to get to that level, " Smedley

said.

Emmons said it's possible that Oklahoma's unusually rainy summer

played a role in the mold growing.

" It's obvious that if we were in Phoenix that we wouldn't be seeing

this, " Huey said.

What is CLEET?

The dormitory is part of a $26.4 million CLEET complex that opened

in September. Legislators approved the construction funding in a

2000 bill that added a $3 surcharge to court costs of traffic and

criminal cases statewide.

CLEET provides law enforcement training for every county sheriff's

department and all municipal police departments except Oklahoma

City, Tulsa and Norman, which have their own academies.

CLEET is paying East Central University $20 a night for each double-

occupancy room its cadets are using until the mold is resolved.

Fortunately, the university has had rooms available with most

students gone for the summer vacation, Emmons said.

" But we just started a nine-week academy, so we'll be here when the

school semester begins, " he said.