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Pittsburgh, PA area
Mold closes pool at Highlands High School
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/westmoreland/s_548133.html
By Tom Yerace
VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH
Friday, January 18, 2008
Highlands School District officials this week shut down the high school pool due to mold growing on the ceiling.
Superintendent Karol Galcik told the school board earlier this week that she ordered the pool closed Jan. 14 after tests raised concerns about air quality in the Harrison building.
Although nobody had complained of any health problems, Galcik said the pool was closed as a precaution after she received a report from Volz Environmental Services Inc. of Harmar.
"As soon as I received the report from Volz Environmental and I talked to the environmentalist, it clearly indicated that we had to shut it down," Galcik said. "They did two types of testing, They did sample testing of the air in the pool area, in the hallway outside the pool and the outside. Then they took samples of the ceiling. Inside the pool, there were elevated levels of spores."
She said the environmentalist advised her that the air quality could pose a risk for some people.
"He said there were three types of people who could be affected," Galcik explained. "They would be people with allergies, people with asthma and people with compromised immune systems. He said they could be highly susceptible if they were in those areas."
The high school swim team rescheduled its practices and meets for the next several weeks. Principal Tom Shirey said neighboring districts helped adjust to the following revised schedule:
• Jan. 21, vs. Plum at Plum High School
• Jan. 24, vs. Mount Pleasant at Deer Lakes High School
• Jan. 31, vs. Valley at Valley
• Feb. 7, vs. East Allegheny at Burrell High School
• Feb. 14, vs. Deer Lakes at Deer Lakes.
Tom Yerace can be reached at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 724-226-4675.
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Mold closes Highlands High School pool
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_548275.html
By Tom Yerace
VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Activity at the high school swimming pool has been halted due to mold growing on the ceiling.
Superintendent Karol Galcik ordered the pool closed Monday after tests raised concerns about air quality.
Nobody had complained of health problems, Galcik said. But the pool was closed as a precaution after she received a report from Volz Environmental Services Inc. of Harmar.
"It clearly indicated that we had to shut it down," Galcik said.
They sampled the air in the pool area, in the hallway outside the pool and the outside. Then they took samples of the ceiling.
"Inside the pool, there were elevated levels of spores," she said.
She said the environmentalist advised her that the air quality could pose a risk for some people.
"He said there were three types of people who could be affected," Galcik said. "They would be people with allergies, people with asthma and people with compromised immune systems.
"He said they could be highly susceptible if they were in those areas."
Joe Capozzoli, the district's director of buildings and grounds, said the mold problem actually began in late November or early December.
He said that's when the 20-year-old rooftop environmental control system for the pool area, made by Pool Pac Systems, went down because a part went bad.
"That's what created the problem," Capozzoli said. "The Pool Pac system controls everything -- water temperature, air temperature, dehumidification."
He said the part was something that could not be bought locally and installed quickly but had to be obtained from Pool Pac.
"They had to make it and send it out to us," he said. "That took a good 10 days."
By the time the system was repaired, it was at least the middle of December.
"The ventilation was down and by the time we got to it, the mold had already started," Capozzoli said. "There is tremendous humidity in that pool area. You are running 80 degree water temperatures, and that creates a lot of humidity.
Capozzoli said the ceiling is a cellulose-type ceiling, which is very porous.
"Mold feeds off the cellulose, so we are not going to get rid of it very easily," he said
Galcik said the mold actually started growing on the walls of the pool area. Capozzoli said the district's custodial staff was able to clean that by scrubbing with bleach and water and mold killing agents. He said the walls, the floor and the bleachers were all scrubbed down.
When school resumed after Christmas break, Galcik said the growth on the 26 to 28 foot high ceiling, became visible.
She said Volz Environmental was brought in to do testing on the air and to take samples from the ceiling around Jan. 4. Since nobody had complained of any ill effects and the test results were expected within four or five days, the decision was made to keep the pool open.
Galcik said she saw the test report Monday and ordered the pool closed the same day.
Galcik said the district's administrators will contact companies that do such cleanup work and seek proposals and get Voltz's recommendation so the board can decide how to proceed.
Meanwhile, Highlands High School Principal Tom Shirey said that the aquatics classes -- required in students' freshmen and sophomore years -- have been suspended. Instead, those students are taking regular physical education classes in the school's gymnasiums.
"We're going to hold them harmless as far as the aquatics," Shirey said. "We're not going to deny them a (physical education) credit."
The swim team also must change its routines.
"Athletic Director Matt Bonislawski has been working frantically to line up other schools to host home matches and practices," Shirey said. "Everyone in the Valley has been very cordial."
He said the home swim meet with Derry was held at Valley High School in New Kensington.
"Burrell has been allowing us to practice when they don't practice," Shirey said. "It's not great, but it's tough to have a swim team when you don't have a pool."
Tom Yerace can be reached at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 724-226-4675.
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