Justice Ctr. clean-up ahead of schedule

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - The Stoddard County Commission heard a progress report from Architect Dale Rogers, president of Robert Stearnes and Associates, Inc., on mold abatement in the Justice Building. Rogers said the contractors were ahead of schedule and asked the commission to pick a new ceiling tile to be installed in place of the tile that was removed. The commission picked a fiber acoustic tile at a cost of $.64 per square foot. Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis and Commissioner Frank Sifford agreed on the tile with Commissioner Carol Jarrell not present.

Rogers reported that all the ductwork and insulation had been removed from the area (juvenile justice offices) serviced by the rooftop Unit 3 HVAC system. He said cleaning had been completed by Schemel-Tarrillion, Inc. He noted that new ductwork had been installed in that area by Langford Mechanical and Sheet Metal. The same process has been completed in the area (halls and court administrative offices) serviced by Unit 1, Rogers said. He added the company should have new ductwork in that area done by Tuesday. He said removal of ductwork in the courtrooms has been completed and cleanup is underway.

"Have there been any kinks?" asked Mathis.

Rogers said the only change in the plans had been removing the ceiling tile in the outside administrative offices. He said those offices were serviced by PTAC units and they were originally just going to clean and abate the mold on surfaces in those areas. He said they then decided to "be safe" and remove insulation and ceiling tile in those areas.

"We wanted to be assured that we left no mold," Rogers said.

Sifford commented, "I noticed it slowed them down on Sunday as they had already been cleaning some of the tile before it was decided it needed to be removed."

Rogers said the contractors were ahead of schedule and it appeared as if they would meet the nine-day deadline to have the Justice Building offices and hallways open.

Sifford questioned whether the ceiling tile would be installed in the allotted time frame. He said he didn't see how that could be completed by Sept. 26.

Rogers said the necessary court offices and halls could be opened and in use even if ceiling tile installation had not been completed. He said the mold would have been removed and eradicated by that time.

Sifford noted that the new software for the computer that controls the HVAC and ventilation system would not be installed until sometime between Sept. 26 and Sept. 29. He asked if opening the building prior to that would pose any future mold problems.

Rogers said the ventilation system would be in operation, it just would not be computer controlled. He said he didn't think there would be a problem because the things that had caused the mold had been fixed or repaired.

"Can we get a detailed list of everything that was wrong?" Mathis asked.

"Yes," Rogers replied. "We will have a complete list."

Roger said the contractors had found a problem with the air actuators which are vents in the firewalls. He said these vents are left open, but close when the fire alarms are activated. He said the problem was found because of a humming noise emanating from one of them. He said the controls for these actuators were just above the ceiling tiles and all of these in the building had been checked.

"There were complaints from employees about a humming noise," Mathis commented.

Rogers said the commission needed to pick a ceiling tile to be re-installed in the Justice Center. He had three samples he presented to the commission. The first was a Shasta tile that featured a thin fiber front with fiberglass backing. He said that was the type of tile that was originally installed in the Justice Center. The cost was $.84 per square foot. The second sample was a heavier fiber acoustic tile. He said this tile was what was installed in the Government Building. He said the cost of that tile was $.64 per square foot. The third tile was a solid fiber noise reduction tile that cost $1.48 per square foot.

Mathis noted that he Shasta tile was "flimsier" and the fiberglass had been one of the problems with the mold issue. He asked whether there was any acoustic qualities provided by the second sample. Rogers said it also had a good acoustic rating, but it was not as high of a rating as that in the third sample.

"I don't have any problem with using the same tile as in the Government Building," Mathis said.

Sifford said he agreed and they approved using the second tile sample shown by Rogers for the Justice Center by a 2-0 vote.

"This tile is in stock and ready to be installed," said Rogers.

Tetra Tech in Collinsville, Ill. is overseeing the cleanup. They are also in charge of taking surface and air samples for testing and will have to have good test results before the Justice Center is re-opened.

Sifford told those present that SEMO Communications in Sikeston had applied for providing rural cable service in the county.

Sifford also said there was only $18,000 to $19,000 left in the Union Pacific account set up for maintaining the recently paved road to the Union Pacific office east of Dexter. Sifford said he thought there would be more than that left over from money contributed to the paving project by Union Pacific. He said he forgot to take into account engineering fees that came out of the fund. The major part of the cost of the project came from federal stimulus money. Sifford said the Industrial Development Authority of Stoddard County was putting in $5,000 per year into the account and that should build up in a few years to help with maintenance.