McIntosh board decides offices are unsafe

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McIntosh board decides offices are unsafe

Florida Times-Union - ville,FL*

Tax officials want workers to stay away until mold eradicated

By MIKE MORRISON, Times-Union correspondent

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http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-

online/stories/070908/geo_301525327.shtml

DARIEN - The McIntosh County Board of Tax Assessors has ordered

Chief Appraiser to get his staff out of its mold-

infested offices by Friday.

Board Chairman Don Schoonover said he and other board members were

concerned that the County Commission was taking too long to address

the problem, which was discovered more than a month ago.

" We just figured the offices are unsafe, " Schoonover said

Tuesday. " It's not an acceptable workplace. The reason we did this

is somebody's got to do something. "

Schoonover and attended the County Commission's regular

meeting Monday, hoping the commission would approve a deal to lease

another building for and his staff to use at least

temporarily.

and County Manager Luther Smart had selected a former real

estate office, but the commissioners asked Smart to check out other

properties before making a deal. With that instruction in place, the

commissioners approved a motion empowering Smart to take any steps

necessary to resolve the problem.

" The commission wants me to look at a couple of more locations, "

Smart said, " but we will be moving them out. "

The tax assessors' offices are in a 1960s ranch-style house that was

formerly the residence of the county sheriff. speculates that

burst water pipes in early 2006 led to the mold infestation, which

was documented by certified mold inspector Gladding of

Townsend.

Gladding found several varieties of molds, including cladosporium

and aspergillus, which he said while not toxic can produce severe

allergic reactions and upper respiratory infections.

Schoonover said he was told by Gladding that he would not allow his

family members to work in a building with that amount of mold.

Smart said he also will check into having the structure cleaned.

" We'll get some estimates on what the abatement will cost and we'll

go from there, " he said. " We'll have to see if it's going to be cost-

effective. "

doesn't think so.

" They'll have to spend $50,000 to $150,000 to clean it up, " he

said, " and when it's done, they'll still have an obsolete building. "

" They want a new building and understandably so, " Smart said.

said that it'll be tough for him and his six-person staff to

vacate their offices by Friday.

" If the County Commission doesn't rent me another place, we have

nowhere else to go, " he said.

Schnoonover suggested that staff members could work by computer from

home or do field work to minimize their exposure to the mold until

the offices are relocated.