Discovery of mold makes inspections important

September 26, 2007

Bridgeville Area News

by Widmer

Staff Writer

September 26, 2007

mold-makes-inspections-important

Officials at Chartiers Valley School District plan to do routine

inspections for moisture and mold at all of its schools this school

year after mold was found in one school last month.

The district says it will have its own facility staff and outside

firms conduct the inspections not only at the primary school on

Thoms Run Road, where mold was found in four classrooms on Aug. 30,

but at all of its schools.

These inspections will be conducted on a routine basis, according to

Chuck McCartney, public relations coordinator at the district.

" They will be looking for moisture in ventilator pipes and other

things, " McCartney said.

Also, the district said it is taking additional steps to make sure

this problem does not happen again.

An outside contracting firm has been working in the four classrooms

to remove the existing pipe insulation and replace it with one that

resists excessive condensation and moisture.

The rooms will be cleaned and sanitized a second time after the pipe

wrapping project is completed, according to the district.

" This is something that needs to be done to keep all of our students

safe, " McCartney said.

Following the discovery of stachybotrys mold in four first-floor

classrooms at the primary school, students were moved from those

rooms to other rooms. The school district hired Massaro Restoration

and Marcor Remediation to clean, sanitize and ventilate each of

those classrooms while the students were moved to the other rooms.

On Sept. 6, that same firm confirmed that the targeted mold readings

in the affected areas were zero; on Sept. 16, officials from the

Allegheny County Health Department visited the school, inspected the

building and reviewed the test results.

The agency, according to the district, accepted the findings that

the rooms were safe to populate again.

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