Fellowship square answers allegations

[Guest guest]

Fellowship square answers allegations

Fairfaxtimes.com -

Reston

By Compton

Source: Fairfax County Times

TUESDAY, JANUARY 29 2008

http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/news/2008/jan/29/fellowship-square-

answers-allegations/

The Fellowship Square Foundation is defending itself against a

lawsuit filed by a former employee, and Director Garrett said

county inspections disprove Oliver ' allegations of unhealthy

conditions.

" We've had studies that were done on airflow and air quality run by

a number of different agencies and no abnormal levels were cited by

them, " he said.

and his family maintain that the 35-year-old building's

heating and cooling system is corroded and contains mold that has

caused the family severe allergies and health problems. Oliver

believes he was fired for his outspokenness about the

decaying system.

" He was terminated by cause for a situation totally unrelated to

those allegations, " Garrett said.

Fairfax County zoning enforcement inspector Bruce inspected

the building after ' complaint shortly after his termination

in August.

Though mold and dust were found, it is not a criminal matter, nor is

it regulated by the county, said county spokeswoman Merni

Fitzgerald. The only action the county will take is in the form of a

recommendation.

" In cases like this we make recommendations that it be cleaned with

a mild bleach solution, " she said. " Whether or not it's regulated,

our goal is to have safe, healthy places to live. Removing mold is

an important key here. "

The Board of Supervisors has assigned staff to research possibly

regulating mold conditions after complaints were made not only by

but from concerns about mold in the public school system.

" Mold can have a very deterrent effect on persons with sensitive

respiratory systems, so the question is, should we be regulating it

and can we? " said Supervisor Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill), who

submitted the question as a board matter in September.

While the matter won't be raised at the 2008 General Assembly

session, Hudgins said she hopes the board will be able to look at it

in advance of the county's 2009 legislative package.

Hudgins said complaints from constituents regarding mold are

difficult to handle at the moment, since the only authority the

county has is related to structural issues.

The Lake Anne Fellowship House's heating and cooling system is

structurally sound, according to the zoning enforcement division.

Beyond that the county cannot enforce mold removal.

and his lawyer, Henry Fitzgerald, have organized an

informational meeting for invited residents in the meantime at the

Lake Anne Reston Community Center on Friday. In addition to those

invitations, slipped an informational packet on mold that

included the article in last week's Times under the door of most of

the residents, he said.

That article may not have been read by most of the residents, as The

Times received several complaints from Fellowship House residents

that the paper was not delivered last week.

Garrett said he was unaware of staff removing the papers, which are

normally delivered in a stack to the lobby.

Muenzer, a resident of the Lake Anne Fellowship House, said

there have been no copies of The Times in the lobby rack since

Wednesday, the day the article was published.

" We have a right to those newspapers, " she said.

At the Friday meeting, Henry Fitzgerald said he hopes they discuss

the subject of a tenants association and ways to create one.

Fitzgerald said there was a tenants association, but it has been

dormant for some time.

Muenzer said the tenants lack any sort of association.

" We have nothing here. We have bingo on Tuesdays, " she said.

Muenzer said her own health declined fairly rapidly once she moved

in the Fellowship House, primarily with respiratory ailments. She

recently bought a mold test kit that she has sent to a lab for

results.

" Two months after I moved in I suffered from pneumonia, " she

said. " When you get older your health does diminish, but I think

this building is a sick building. "

Garrett said the foundation is keenly aware of the delicate health

of its residents and has a record to prove its diligence.

" We're a good organization, we've been here for 35 years, " he

said. " Dealing with the elderly and disabled, we try very hard to

maintain a positive atmosphere and spend an incredible amount of

money on the building to guard their safety. "

Lawyer Fitzgerald said a large part of the problem is inability of

the county to regulate mold and the zoning enforcement division's

sole focus on equipment.

" They come in and if the (HVAC system) puts out cold and heat it's

OK. That's dead wrong; if it's putting out mold it's not functioning

how it's designed, and it should be fixed, " he said.

ccompton@...