Parents raise mold concerns over Paddock school

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Parents raise mold concerns over Paddock school

Chicago Daily Herald - Chicago,IL*

By Pohl

Daily Herald StaffContact writer

Published: 5/30/2008

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=200457 & src=1

The dreaded " M word " is being thrown around the second oldest school

in Palatine Township Elementary School District 15.

A group of parents at Paddock Elementary School have raised concerns

to the school board that a leaky roof, old carpet and wooden rafters

are a breeding ground for mold.

Any health risk is pure speculation, but parent Vicki said

problems from overdue maintenance at the Palatine school are very

real.

" The problems are quite numerous and causing a great deal of

concerns with parents and staff, " she said.

School officials said they'll review capital projects at the June 11

board meeting. Also, an architectural firm has been hired to study

building needs districtwide and a comprehensive report is expected

in September.

The Paddock parents said they hope that school's woes will move up

the priority list. The parents chief concern is the school's half-

century-old roof. It dates to the school's opening in 1954. Several

classrooms require buckets to catch rainwater, parents said.

" You come in after a weekend and the carpet is wet, " said JoAnne

Colucci, parent of a Paddock second-grader. " Everyone who walks in

smells it. … I don't feel proud of my school. "

A new roof was overlaid during a 1990 addition and remodeling.

Still, roof repairs totaled nearly $5,000 over a 12-month period

through early 2008, a Freedom of Information Act filing showed.

A 2005 safety survey report described the roof as deteriorated

and " beginning to tear at the seams. " The recommendation was to tear

off and replace at least part of it, a project put in the district's

highest priority group of issues to address.

District 15's five-year capital expenditure plan allots $740,000 for

the roof's replacement during the 2009-10 school year. Three

schools -- Winston campus, Sandburg and Pleasant Hill -- are slated

ahead of Paddock. But no funding has been approved for any of them.

" (The roof) is not caving in or leaking right now, but from time to

time it will spring leaks, " said Paddock Principal Guy Herrmann.

Herrmann would most like to see improvements to a substandard

electrical system.

" With technology today, some rooms will blow a fuse if you're trying

to use 15 laptops, " he said. " Not enough electricity was brought

into the entire building during the (1990) addition. "

The same 2005 safety survey report stated the electrical system

could become " susceptible to failure which could cause hazard. "

The carpet also dates back to the addition.

" You cannot imagine the number of stains and tattered areas on the

Paddock carpeting, " wrote to the administration.

A few schools that have had at least some tile or carpet replacement

in the last decade are scheduled ahead of Paddock in the district's

five-year capital plan. Superintendent McKanna said the

carpets are cleaned on a regular basis.

Parent Dave , Vicki 's husband, would like to see an end

to what he sees as Band-Aid repairs and get the district's list of

capital projects reprioritized in a fair and logical manner.

In the meantime, he's requesting air quality tests and mold

inspections.

Contacted by the Daily Herald, a Palatine company called Fungi

Finder estimated it would cost $500 to $1,000 to test the school.

But district officials said there's been no incident or reason to

test the air quality for mold.

" I do not suspect mold one bit, " Herrmann said.

At this point, no money has been set aside for Paddock other than

routine maintenance, said board member Tim Millar.

The school was named for the late Stuart R. Paddock, former

publisher of the Daily Herald and son of newspaper founder, Hosea C.

Paddock.