Add mold to list of Sandown police station woes

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Add mold to list of Sandown police station woes

Eagle Tribune - North Andover,MA*

By Basilesco

jbasilesco@...

http://www.eagletribune.com/punewsnh/local_story_274025337.html?

keyword=topstory

SANDOWN — Along with cramped conditions, police said they are now

fighting mold inside their aging station.

Police Chief ph Gordon said he spent about 25 hours over the

weekend ridding his station of black mold he spotted outside

ventilation panels two weeks ago.

At first, he thought it was soot, but after taking a closer look,

Gordon said it appeared to be mold. He also said paint was flaking

off.

He enlisted the services of Ken Sherwood, the town's building

inspector/health officer, who agreed it was mold.

Gordon said it's another example of the problems police have been

dealing with in the old station on Main Street. It is just 1,200

square feet, lacks a single jail cell, and its water is undrinkable,

he said.

Gordon said voters will be asked again in March to approve a new

station, something the Police Department has been seeking for most

of a decade. Last March, a proposal for a $791,114 bond to cover

construction and equipment failed by three votes.

After having the mold analyzed by a company in Concord, Gordon

cleaned it himself with a bleach solution over the weekend.

The company determined the mold was not toxic or hazardous. But

because of the poor ventilation inside the building and only a few

tiny windows, Gordon decided it should be cleaned up. A

representative from the state Department of Environmental Services

told him mold can be aggravating, especially for people with

allergies, Gordon said.

He said he sent Sgt. Aurie Roy home for her protection last week.

She has an administrative position that keeps her inside the station

most of the day, Gordon said.

" We're in a much cleaner station now, " the chief said.

The water the station receives from a town well, however, is brown

with an unpleasant sulfur odor, he said.

" We aren't drinking it, " Gordon said. " We don't even like to wash

our hands in it. "