Mold Mitigation Continues At Bristol, Va., Stadium

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Mold Mitigation Continues At Bristol, Va., Stadium

Bristol Herald Courier - Bristol,TN*

By McGee

Staff Writer / Bristol Herald Courier

Published: August 20, 2008

http://www.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/work_at_gene_malcolm_

stadium_on_schedule/12908/

BRISTOL, Va. – An effort to refurbish and remodel a section of Gene

Malcolm Stadium is on schedule, a city official said.

City crews have been working to remove sections of masonry where

mold had taken over some ground-level offices, constructed a new

concession building and made other repairs at the Virginia High

School stadium.

" We're making significant headway, " said Dye, director of the

city's parks and recreation department.

The problems surfaced earlier this year when a report showed a

variety of molds in the administrative offices of the parks and

recreation department, restrooms and a concession area.

The problem was caused by water runoff from the concrete grandstands

overhead.

Employees were relocated to offices in City Hall while city leaders

weighed a number of options for dealing with the problem.

The office spaces under the stands eventually will be gutted, but

this summer work has focused on preparing the stadium for the

school's first home football game on Aug. 29.

A contractor installed a metal roof beneath one section of the

grandstands and crews erected a new concession building beneath the

covering.

" The new concession building is coming right along and should be

done in a couple of weeks. They're painting and installing

countertops now, " Dye said.

Dye said chances are " pretty good " the work will be done by the

first game.

The city has access to a concession trailer if the concession stand

isn't finished, City Manager Bill Dennison said.

" We've been concentrating on the public areas – the concession and

restrooms, " Dye said. " There has been significant demolition under

the bleachers, but that all isn't done. But those areas aren't

accessible to the public. "

A contractor was scheduled this week to begin caulking and sealing

seams in the four sections of concrete grandstands directly over the

concession and restroom areas, Dye said.

Once the restrooms and concession stand are completed, crews will

finish gutting the former office space, he said.

Next, the department will turn its attention to preparing a house

adjacent to Sugar Hollow Park for the new administrative offices.

The city recently purchased the 2,800-square-foot home and 4.3

acres. About 2.6 acres in turn were sold to Washington County for

additional parking at S. Battle High School.

" The house is in such good shape we don't need to do much, " Dye

said. " We may have to move walls to make a hallway or divide rooms

for offices, but we're not having to rebuild. "

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