County Courthouse mold is being eradicated

March 21, 2008

Tulsa World - Tulsa,OK*

By RHETT MORGAN World Staff Writer

3/21/2008

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CLAREMORE -- County officials have hired a Catoosa company to begin

mold remediation from an office in the County Courthouse,

according to County Clerk Peggy Armstrong.

Worldwide Restoration Inc. this week began removing drywall and

carpeting from the second-floor chambers of Associate District Judge

Sheila Condren, said Arthur Mathews, the maintenance supervisor for

the courthouse.

Initial repairs are estimated at $6,000, Armstrong said.

" It appears to be like a ventilation problem, " said Kirt Thacker,

the county commissioner for Claremore-based District 3. " We are

going to have to fix that after we clean all the mold up to keep it

from recurring. "

After the mold was found, Liberty Occupational Health Management

Inc. performed air-quality testing in the room last month.

It revealed a couple of types of mold, including stachybotrys, which

is capable of pro ducing toxins, Mathews said.

The problem initially surfaced a few months ago, when a woman laid a

book bag down in Condren's office. Within a day or so, mold was

clinging to the bag's surface, Mathews said.

The vinyl wallpaper that lines the courthouse's hallways is to

blame, he said. Moisture that penetrates the drywall and reaches the

vinyl can't dissipate like it should, he said.

" When it gets to the wallpaper, it becomes an environment for this

mold to grow, " Mathews said.

" Mold spores are microscopic, so they are airborne. If they find a

happy ground to grow in, they will start growing there. This has

made a perfect environment for them, this wall covering. "

No one has become ill from the mold, Mathews said.

Condren's office has been closed this week. Repairs could be

finished by next week, he said.

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