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SMH: Same old story - denials of danger, report withheld, taking care of the mold just to be on safe side - this is the mantra of those concerned about liability.
School mold repairs OK'd
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-24/119165208343420.xml&coll=1
LaPlace Elementary walls have moisture Saturday, October 06, 2007By Sandra Barbier
The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board approved emergency repairs Thursday to LaPlace Elementary School to get rid of mold and moisture in the walls in the seventh- and eighth-grade classroom building.
School system Superintendent Michael Coburn said he was notified of the problem Monday after the school's principal moved a class out of one room because of the problem.
At a school board meeting Thursday night, Coburn said he had received results Thursday at about 3 p.m. from an independent environmental company's test that showed the mold is not a health hazard, although he said the room where the problem was worst has been condemned.
"According to information we received from the outside agency, there is no danger to any student. There is no danger to any teacher," he said.
The company, Driskill Environmental Consultants, conducted the test Tuesday. After the meeting Thursday, Coburn said that besides ruling out the mold as the toxic Stachybotrys variety, the test found that the level of mold in the air in classrooms was the same as the level in an ordinary room or car.
"There's nothing toxic," he said.
Coburn refused to release a copy of the test results. He said he gave the results to the board's attorney, but has not given copies to board members. He said he contacted as many board members as he could earlier to tell them about the situation.
Driskill Environmental will check two other schools, John L. Ory Communication Arts Magnet School and East St. John High School, Coburn said.
All three schools have a wing that was designed and built by the same companies.
"None of this same type of situation has occurred" in the other schools, Coburn said.
"Just to be on the safe side, we want to begin looking at those other buildings."
The board awarded Aegis Construction Inc. a $2.5 million contract to build a wing on each of the three schools in 2002. The buildings were designed by the architectural firm Mestayer, Darby and Partners of New Iberia.
The wings contain six classrooms at LaPlace, eight at Ory and 12 at East St. John, as well as computer and science labs.
Coburn said officials at LaPlace noticed the problem on Sept. 28 when a "hole was pressed through the wall," and "shades of dark" were visible. There also were dark stains in some places.
Coburn said he doesn't know why the problem wasn't addressed sooner by maintenance workers.
He said district maintenance chief Jesse Oubre, architect Alton Darby and another independent environmental consultant, Ryan Environmental, began investigating the cause of the damage Monday at midday, immediately after the central office was notified.
There were several possible causes. The mold may have stemmed from moisture and a lack of insulation in the walls next to the air conditioning units in each room, he said. Other factors could have been exterior doors that remained open, causing condensation in the halls that affected the air conditioners, or else air ducts that directed cool air against the un-insulated exterior wall, causing condensation.
Coburn said there will be an investigation whether the cause was faulty design, construction or maintenance.
The building is five years old, he said.
"No way this should have happened."
The board approved Coburn's recommendation to hire Ryan Environmental to do the repairs. Coburn said the work is estimated to cost no more than $62,000.
Plans are to replace the damaged Sheetrock and add insulation wherever there is a problem, he said.
He said the rooms will be repaired two at a time, and that students will be temporarily moved to a vacant room while their room is repaired.
The repairs should take seven to 14 days, he said.
Coburn said he sent letters home with students Thursday informing parents of the problem.
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Sandra Barbier can be reached at
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or (985) 652-0958.
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