Spring Creek Elementary School Students have respiratory problems

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http://www.news-press.com/news/today/020213cleanair.html

School officials clear air on Spring Creek

By DAVID E. PLAZAS, dplazas@...

Spring Creek Elementary School will have the cleanest environment of any Lee

County public school in the next six to eight months, officials said Tuesday

night.

Lee County School District maintenance officials could give no guarantees

when all the air quality problems would be corrected, but they told parents

at a parent-teacher organization meeting that they're working on it.

The first phase of the clean-up, including the air conditioning repair work

and foam installation, will be completed this weekend.

Some parents still complain that their children suffer from respiratory

ailments they blame on the school's poor air quality.

About a year ago district officials agreed to study the problem and fix it.

" We have done everything we can possibly do to the building except treat the

fresh air, " said Easterly, maintenance services director. " That's the

next step. "

The school district this year will spend $228,300 to buy a dehumidifier and

central control system that will take the moisture out of the air in the

building and replace it with treated air from outside.

Last year the district spent $163,305 on studying the problem, sealing the

building and cleaning it.

The district has hired Maguire Engineering Services Inc. to design the

dehumidifier, but getting it to the school will take time because of a

state-mandated bidding process required of the public schools.

" I don't have any guarantees tonight, " said Larry McAffee, district

maintenance services program administrator.

Parents and teachers say some walls and ceilings are moldy. Principal Sheryl

e said pediatricians have warned parents against sending their children

to the school because of the problems.

Some are angry that the problems could not be handled sooner and expressed

their frustration Tuesday.

" Is this air safe in this school? " asked Steve Zofcin, 58, of Estero, whose

granddaughter is in kindergarten.

" We believe it is, " responded Andy Aske, senior engineer at Maguire.

" That's not good enough, " Zofcin shot back.

Parents learned that when the school was built 20 years ago, designers did

not anticipate the air quality issues that would arise at Spring Creek and

other schools today.

" The truth of the matter is that we need to do a lot more cleaning, " Aske

said.

e said the school maintenance staff habitually cleans the carpets and

the building. She lauded the school district for responding to her

inquiries.

" Anytime I've asked for assistance, I've gotten it, " she said.

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