Mold removal under way at Sugarcreek municipal building

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Mold removal under way at Sugarcreek municipal building

The News-Herald, lin, PA*

By LEIGH PROTIVNAK

http://www.thederrick.com/stories/08102007-5110.shtml

Problems have persisted since flooding last summer.

Work is being done at the Sugarcreek Borough municipal building to

remove mold from the walls of the police interrogation room.

A wall has been torn down, mold has been completely removed, and a

company has been called in to clean out the air ducts before the

room can be reopened, said borough administrator Jackie Egger.

The problem has persisted since the building was flooded last

summer. Rains were so heavy last summer that the maintenance

department was unable to get and keep the room dry, Egger said.

A microbiologist, Slonski of Regulatory Management Systems,

was called on in January to inspect the damage in the officers' room

after officers complained of frequent headaches, sinus problems and

excessive sneezing and coughing.

Slonski discovered a low-level residual mold problem and an above

normal level of nuisance dust, but the problem wasn't life

threatening, Egger said.

At Slonski's direction, the borough purchased a dehumidifier and air

purifier and placed plastic sheets over the problem areas to keep

the moisture from spreading to other parts of the building.

The borough held off on reconstructing the room until a set of

French drains in the parking lot was installed to keep the building

from flooding again. That project was completed by the borough

maintenance department at a cost of around $2,500.

Egger said the original plan was to remove about four feet from the

bottom of the wall, but when crews began to tear down the wall, they

discovered the moisture had spread through the entire exterior wall

and into a portion of the wall in the restroom. In addition to

moisture from flooding, a drip was discovered in a pipe that feeds

into the restroom.

The entire room has been sealed off and air purifiers are running

around the clock until the wall is replaced, Egger said.

Egger said the project should be complete in about three weeks.

The original proposal had a price tag of $5,800, and the additional

work will increase the total repair cost by about $1,500, Egger

said. The duct cleaning will cost around $1,200.

The wall reconstruction and duct cleaning work is being paid for

through the borough insurance company, with the exception of the

deductible of $1,000.