Berlin Borough moves staff as it tackles mold

[Guest guest]

Berlin Borough moves staff as it tackles mold

April 15, 2008

Cherry Hill Courier Post - Cherry Hill,NJ*

By RICHARD PEARSALL • Courier-Post Staff •

http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

AID=/20080415/NEWS01/804150370/1006

BERLIN BOROUGH — A problem with mold has forced the evacuation of

the municipal complex here.

" The clerical staff has moved to the library next door, " Mayor

Armano said Monday, " and the police department has moved around the

corner " to 45a Cross Keys Road, across from the King of Pizza.

When the remediation will begin or how long it will take is not

clear, the mayor said.

" It could be a couple of weeks, or it could be a couple of months.

We don't know. But we wanted to get employees out before it begins, "

he said.

Black spots were first noticed in the police department, in the

basement of the building, about a month ago, the mayor said.

When testing on those spots came back positive for mold, officials

began checking other areas of the building, and found indications of

mold there, too.

Bob Lentine, an environmental health specialist with the Camden

County Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed that a

number of different molds had been found in the municipal complex,

including some species that he described as " nasty. "

Mold can " have a negative health effect, " Lentine said, " when levels

inside exceed what is naturally occurring outside, " and " if people

are exposed to those levels over a long period of time. "

Mold can cause respiratory ailments, he said, including asthma.

The health department discovered two types of problems with mold at

borough hall, Lentine said.

Some types of mold were found inside at levels exceeding those

outside, while other types of mold were found inside that weren't

found at all outside.

Borough Hall, located at 59 S. White Horse Pike, is a former school

that was converted to a municipal complex in the late 1950s.

A key part of remediation, Lentine said, will be " getting rid of the

moisture. "

Other steps could include sealing off spaces and sucking the air out

of them, and removing contaminated material such as wallboard, wood

and insulation, he said.

The police department vacated its basement quarters Thursday, while

the borough's administrative offices moved out on Thursday and

Friday.

Monday the borough was working with Verizon to get the old phone

system and numbers transferred to the new quarters.

Reach Pearsall at (856) 486-2465 or

rpearsall@...