Mold found at City Hall

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Mold found at City Hall

Madison Courier - Madison,IN*

Peggy Vlerebome

Courier Staff Writer

http://www.madisoncourier.com/main.aspSectionID=4 & SubSectionID=253 & Ar

ticleID=41471 & TM=66494.93

The health department found mold and bacteria three places in City

Hall and the Police Department, but whether it poses a health risk

is not yet known. Mayor Tim Armstrong is awaiting a written report

that will detail findings that he was informed about by telephone

Monday.

Armstrong told the City Council members about the mold and bacteria

at the council meeting Tuesday night when he told them the city is

going to have to do something about increasing water leaks from the

roofs on City Hall and the Police Department.

The worst mold was found in the lobby, he said after the meeting.

The second-worst was found in a hallway between the clerk-

treasurer's office and the police department, and the third-worst

was in the police chief's office, he said.

Armstrong said the health department is sending a nurse to City

Hall " to see what we need to do to fix this. "

Armstrong told the council that the often-patched roof will have to

be addressed. Leaks on the police department side recently allowed

water to drip dangerously close to the police department's

communications equipment.

Knowing there was a roof problem, an informal estimate was obtained

a couple of weeks ago that a new roof would cost $380,000.

Contractors will be looking at the roof and building today to give

the city a report on what needs to be done and a cost estimate,

Armstrong said.

The leaking problem has become worse with recent rains. Heavy rain

Tuesday morning sprung through more places inside the building on

both sides, Armstrong said.

Buckets and tarps have been placed to catch leaks, which on the

police department side travel down two floors from the roof and get

into offices on the main floor and in the basement. On the City Hall

side, there is one floor above the main floor.

The city has been in the former bank building at Main and West

streets since 1993. " I don't know if there's been any maintenance

done, " Armstrong told the council. " There's been some patches. We're

nickel-and-diming it. "

Council member Bob May said, " The longer we wait the worse it's

going to get. "