WIS News 10 tours Ft. after mold, asbestos found

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WIS News 10 tours Ft. after mold, asbestos found

May 1, 2008 07:39 PM EDT

WIS - Columbia,SC*

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8258895

FORT JACKSON, SC (WIS) - WIS has learned that inspectors found mold

and asbestos inside the Fort barracks.

Officials say the problems will cost a significant amount of money

to fix.

But they don't consider the findings as serious as what they've seen

at Fort Bragg. Earlier this week we showed you troubling images from

the base posted online by the parent of a soldier.

Among the dismal conditions visible is a major sewage backup.

The images prompted inspections by the us army, visiting bases

across the country -- including Fort here in Columbia.

WIS News 10 took a tour of the base Thursday. Here's what we found.

It isn't exactly a five-star hotel, and Commanding General Jim

Schwitters knows it.

" What you see here is 50 years old. We're not proud of the floor

covering. but it is sanitary, it is functional and it is healthy, "

says Schwitters.

But keeping the barracks at Fort functional and sanitary is

a challenge. About a third of them have eight beds to a room,

stained walls, rusted tiles and chipped paint.

" This is one of six latrines in this barracks, " says Schwitters

during the tour.

The 1950's-era barracks are some of the oldest on base. Maintenance

issues are expected when more than 50,000 soldiers come through each

year.

" Keeping ahead of plumbing problems, we've all encountered

overflowing toilets, blocked drains, we deal with that everyday, "

says Schwitters.

But what happens when conditions get out of hand, as they seemingly

did at Fort Bragg, in North Carolina? Images there show severe mold

and bathroom drains plugged with sewage.

The barracks at Fort are similar in age, but officials say

they're already working on replacing them.

Then we saw one of the base's newer models.

" We call it the starship because if you were to look at it from a

birds-eye view, it would like a Starship Galactica. A central hub

with many appendages, fairly large, " says Schwitters.

Fort is also in the midst of an eight-year, $1 billion

renovation.

Officials hope to centralize soldier training and housing by

building around what's called a star-base, where barracks hold about

50-60 soldiers, latrines look much cleaner, and old tiles are

replaced by flooring that should last a bit longer.

In the meantime, thousands of soldiers will continue to live in

older barracks, and equally simple, temporary trailers.

Officials say they may not be pretty, but they're functional -- for

now.

Reported by Dan Tordjman

Posted by Logan