Elections board dealing with mold

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Elections board dealing with mold

LimaOhio.com - OH*

August 28, 2008 - 6:20PM

Bart Mills

Published Aug. 29, 2008

http://www.limaohio.com/news/mold_27525___article.html/cunningham_boa

rd.html

LIMA - Local elections officials typically have to worry about

accepting registrations, verifying petitions and making sure

elections are run fair and flawless. Add breathing to that list of

concerns.

A recent study of the carpet and ceiling tiles at the County

Board of Elections uncovered a variety of mold in the basement

office.

Boyd, a representative of Allied Environmental Services, said

the company's initial findings verified the presence of ascospores

and pennicillium or aspergillus molds in the samples. The study did

not verify how much mold was present, but even a little can be

dangerous to some people.

" There is a risk factor. There are concerns about the air quality

here and that's been an ongoing concern, " Boyd said.

Allied plans to conduct another test next week to establish how much

of a risk there is. In the meantime, board members have to decide

what to do to keep employees safe.

The board was originally planning to tear up the water-damaged

carpet to help at least temporarily battle the mold problem. But

Elections Director Cunningham told board members this morning

he feared removing the carpet would send the mold airborne and

create even more problems for staff. With just a little more than

two months to go until the election, it may be too late.

" Given the workload that we face over the next 60 days, to kick all

that up in the air right now is just not smart, " Cunningham

said. " There's some concern that that might actually make things

worse. "

For now, they will install air-cleaning units and replace filters on

the heating and air-conditioning units. Cunningham said the mold is

likely not a hazard to residents visiting the office, but is a

concern for those working there on a daily basis.

" We have employees who have conditions, which are similar to mold

allergies, " Cunningham said. " The general consensus is, it's not

really good for you. "

The mold - prompted by water leaks in the century-old building - has

been an ongoing problem. It was first detected in the office as

early as 2000 and again by an air-quality study in 2004. In 2005,

Commissioners appropriated $50,000 to fix the problem, but it

continues.

Cunningham has been talking with the commissioners for about two

years about moving the board to a new space. Earlier this year,

commissioners approved a contract with Garman Architects for

a review of the adult probation building, former home of the Varsity

Shop clothing store. But Cunningham said Thursday that the condition

of the building and cost of renovations - about $800,000 - knocked

the building out of contention. He will meet with commissioners

Thursday to discuss other options, including the possibility of

moving into the former post office annex on High Street or building

a new facility on the county-owned Cole Street property near the

Sanitary Engineer's office.