Moldy 911 Center Evacuation Called Rushed

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Tilford: 911 center decision rushed

By CHAS J. HARTMAN

3/3/02

After workers evacuated South Broadway's emergency building last Tuesday,

some town City Council members complained about a hasty decision.

" I talked to some (emergency medical services) people, " said Councilman Bias

Tilford. " Their eyes weren't burning. Why couldn't we have waited maybe a

couple days until all the telephones and everything were in order? "

town Mayor Everette Varney and County Judge-Executive

Lusby temporarily closed the building after some workers complained about

pigeons and mold. A few of the workers had experienced health problems they

believe were caused by the mold.

" We had a consulting firm go in to check the problems, " Varney said. " We got

the report back, which was not good. "

Tilford is a member of the town- County Emergency Medical

Services board, and he questioned the urgency of evacuating everyone last

Tuesday. Officials could have missed emergency calls during the shutdown, he

said.

That didn't happen, Varney said.

" Everything was done in one day without any interruption of services, " he

said.

Others on the council supported the decision's quick action, but would have

liked more information.

Varney and Lusby did what they thought was best at the time, said Councilman

Tim . At the same time, the abruptness of the evacuation was

surprising, said.

" If there was an immediate threat to the personnel's health and well-being,

then such a drastic measure might have been called for, " said. " I

certainly want to know more about the circumstances and the suddenness of

the move. "

Making the decision to close the building came after years of problems with

the complex, Varney said. Although another crew will go in to survey the

station's condition, it could remain closed on a long-term basis, he said.

Before wasting any more money on the building, a decision needs to be made

about its future use, said Councilman Marvin .

" I certainly would not want to work in a building that's infested with

pigeons, " said.

The city originally hoped to keep the station open until the completion of

the new town- County 911 Center, Varney said. However, after

talking with City Attorney Charlie Perkins and studying the consulting firm'

s evaluation, the evacuation could not wait any longer, he said.

" It was an inconvenience, but it certainly didn't cause any real problem, "

Varney said.