Commission tackles mold issue

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - The Stoddard County Commission approved retaining firms to repair and identify problems within the ventilation system at the Justice Center, begin removing materials and cleaning ductwork that have been affected by the mold and performing ongoing tests to identify concentration levels of the mold as the work gets underway.

Dale Rogers, president of Robert Stearnes and Associates, Inc. Architects of Sikeston, made a presentation to the commission identifying problems in the building that led to the mold and to develop a procedure to remedy the problem.

Tetra Tech, Inc. of Collinsville, Ill. took 23 test samples of surface mold and air samples from the Justice Center which were analyzed by EMSL Analytical, Inc. of St. Louis. on Aug. 10. The report found a high concentration level of cladosporium. The tests also found above average levels of aspergillus/penifillium and basidiospores, along with hyphal fragments.

Commissioner Frank Sifford noted he was informed all these were found naturally occurring in the outdoors.

Rogers agreed that the outside air contained these same fungal spores, but air movement prevented the concentration levels from getting as high as they were found in a closed building such as the Justice Center. Rogers went on to say that prior to any treatment and abatement for the problem, the repairs needed to be made to the ventilation system.

"No cleanup will be started until the problems are solved," said Rogers.

Langford Mechanical and Sheet Metal representatives have been looking over the building and came up with a list of problems, Rogers told the commission.

Their findings included:

* No control over the computer system that manages the HVAC and ventilation system. Rogers said the county had contracted with Buffington Brothers who oversaw the management of the computer system;

* Dampers on units were not in working order and he did not know if that was also something controlled by the computer system;

* Air filters in the basement were plugged and affecting air flow filtration;

* An igniter in the boiler was not working. Rogers said Langford had found the replacement part and installed it which had already made a big difference in humidity and temperature in the basement;

* Exhaust fans on the rooftop needed new belts.

"The biggest problem is getting the computer system back into proper operational mode," Rogers said.

Rogers said the areas of the Justice Building that were heated and cooled with PTAC units were not found to have any mold problems. It was only the courtrooms, juvenile center offices and an interior office that was serviced by the central system. Rogers asked the commission whether they wanted Langford to fix the problems as they were discovered, or whether the county was under contract with Buffington Brothers to do the repair work. He also said the control of the system needed to be brought back to the Justice Center whether that meant physically returning a computer or obtaining an IP address and whatever information was needed to gain access to the computer.

County Building Supervisor William Dowdy said the computer had never been removed from the building. He said a modem was set up so that Buffington could monitor the system from an outside location. He noted that the county had at one time monitored the system themselves.

"They (Buffington Brothers) took control because the old computer crashed and died," Dowdy said.

Rogers again asked whether the commission wanted Langford to begin fixing the problems.

Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis asked the commission clerk to get a copy of the contract with Buffington. She did so and it was distributed to the commission and Rogers.

Sifford said the contract read that Buffington would do the checking and cleaning of the system, but any repairs and labor would be in addition to the contract. He said that he believed the county could use whomever they wanted to do repairs.

Mathis asked at least three times whether the other commissioners wanted to authorize Langford to make the repairs as needed.

"Yes," Sifford responded.

Commissioner Carol Jarrell stated, "I don't really understand everything, but I agree to go with Langford."

"So if something breaks, are we going to call Langford?" Mathis asked.

Both commissioners concurred, but Mathis asked Rogers to contact Langford to "make sure they are willing to do it".

Rogers said the next phase would be to have Schemel-Tarrllion, Inc. of Perryville to begin the abatement process. Rogers said this would mean tearing out ceiling tile, removing insulation above the ceiling and cleaning ductwork that could be abated or removing it altogether. Rogers said this would be done in four stages, taking one section of the building at a time. He said tunnels would be constructed in the main corridors of Justice Center so that employees and the public could gain access while the work was underway. He said these tunnels would also protect people from exposure to spores as the material was being removed. He said the company would block off one area and then begin the next area while tests were performed on the completed area. All air and surface testing is to be done by Tetra Tech.

Rogers said Tetra Tech would provide the remediation project manager and project manager.

"We are working on a plan of action as fast as possible," Rogers assured the commission.

Sifford questioned the costs of the project which ran from $44 per hour for some employees to $72.78 per hour for testing. He asked why a local company could not do the removal of ceiling tiles and ductwork.

Rogers said regulations called for a special license for abatement companies, and only those companies could do the abatement. He did say a local company could install the new ceiling tile, ductwork and insulation once the contaminated material was removed.

Chief Juvenile Officer Mike Davis also had some questions for the commissioners. He said the four offices in his section of the Justice Center were all part of the computerized system and were going to be completely closed during the work. He said he had been in contact with the Office of State Court Administrators (OSCA) who was willing to help with temporarily relocating the offices. They could help with computer set-up and technology needed in moving to a new location.

He also said a temporary location would be needed for juvenile court which is also served by the central HVAC system.

Mathis asked if he had some recommendation as to where these offices could be relocated during the work.

Davis said they were considering the old alternative school location in the basement. He said it was his understanding that the location had not been affected by mold.

Dowdy questioned whether that location could be used until it was cleared by Tetra Tech.

Sifford suggested that juvenile court could be held in the County Commission Room in the Government Building. He said the commission could find another location during the work. He also noted that it would be ideal for a small courtroom.

Dowdy said there were few problems in the old Alternative School location, and that it might be moved to the top of the list by Schemel-Tarrillion. Rogers agreed and said he would contact that company to see if that could be accomplished as quickly as possible.

Sifford asked Davis how much OSCA would charge for helping move the juvenile offices and computers.

Davis said there would be no charge for their service.

In other action. County Assessor Jody Lemmons asked that the County Board of Appeals (BOA) session be closed. He said he had received no further notice from Missouri Southern Healthcare about an appeal of the assessment and didn't expect to hear from them. The commission voted 3-0 to close the session of the BOA.