Burst water pipe, more mold discovered at Board of Equalization HQ

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Burst water pipe, more mold discovered at Board of Equalization HQ

By McIntosh

amcintosh@...

Sacramento Bee - CA, USA

http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/1729806.html

Published: Thursday, Mar. 26, 2009 - 12:00 am | Page 3A

The state Board of Equalization said Wednesday it is planning to leave the

troubled office building it has called home since 1993 after another watery and

moldy weekend at its 450 N St. headquarters.

The agency disclosed its plans after yet another water pipe burst at BOE

headquarters Sunday, showering hot water down several floors and leading to the

discovery of previously hidden mold on the second, third, sixth and seventh

floors and in its ground-floor history museum area.

The flood – and discovery of unseen mold on five floors – forced the agency to

put 275 employees on paid leave for at least a week, BOE spokeswoman Anita Gore

said.

The BOE's flood and mold mishap was only, in the words of its director, its

latest " water event. "

Six floors – one quarter of the building – are now closed while specialists

clear out and decontaminate moldy areas that developed after burst pipes and

years of water leaks from defective windows.

The tax collection agency, which has grown over the years, needs office space

for 500 staff members immediately. The agency received $5.7 million in the

budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 to rent new space and move

employees.

As part of the space search, the BOE's elected five-member board has directed

staff to shop for space that could eventually house all BOE headquarters staff –

between 2,700 and 3,000 people.

The state has spent more than $29 million fixing 450 N St. in recent years

because of mold, water intrusions and dangerous windows.

Fifty-seven current and former BOE staff have filed workers' compensation

claims, saying the building made them sick, according to a BOE report.

As the problems have multiplied and floors closed, the situation has " caused

fear, anxiety and mistrust among BOE staff, " the report added.

The BOE report said 164 employees attended focus group sessions last year. In

three of those four sessions, 75 percent of BOE workers said they had or were

having health problems they blamed on mold. These included asthma, staph

infections and rashes, coughing, lung problems, headaches, and difficulty

thinking and concentrating. Their symptoms vanished or improved when they left

work, they said.

One employee described water pouring through a ceiling " like a fire hydrant. "

Others described wearing hard hats and raincoats at work or their fear of

carrying mold spores home.

Department of General Services spokesman Lamoureux said the department has

responded to every problem in the state-owned building.

" Our own hygienist tells us conditions are not unsafe for people to be in

there, " Lamoureux said. " We do not believe it's necessary to abandon that

building, and BOE has not asked to abandon that building. "