The Center for School Mold Help

for Video of school mold, click below
http://www.kare11.com/video/player.aspx?aid=57190&bw=

(KARE11.com)

 
The Saint Francis School District has a new fight over a problem that forced several classrooms to be shut down.

In October inspectors found mold growing under floors and behind walls in 25 of its 32 portable classrooms - the district had to abandon that class space.

ModSpace Corporation, the company that builds portable classrooms, has now released a statement saying the St. Francis School District is at least partly responsible for its current dilemma.

"There have been some modifications made to this building that certainly led to some issues that the buildings are encountering today," said Kevin Bremer, the Senior VP of Operations at ModSpace Corporation.

Bremer said the district's work on the heating and air conditioning units added to the buildings' moisture and eventually, mold. Bremer said the district also exacerbated the problem by cutting into the walls.

"We always say don't cut into the buildings because if there's something (inside the walls), you release it," Bremer said.

District leaders say they've done what they needed to do to gauge the problem and protect kids from an unhealthy environment.

"They can say whatever they want, but it's not a good idea to have insulation soaked with water and then have electricity run through the room," said St. Francis Schools Superintendent Ed Saxton.

The company and district do agree they want the problem fixed as quickly as possible.

"The biggest thing right now is to take care of that learning area for the students," Saxton said.

ModSpace representatives say they have a plan for getting kids back in the portable classrooms by late December. But they say the solution would be paid for by both the district and the company.

The school district is already reeling from a financial blow - on Tuesday, the community voted down the district's operating levy.

 By Karla Hult, KARE 11 News

(Copyright 2007 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)

Last Updated: 11/8/2007 4:23:17 AM

----------------------

Another article on this topic: 11/14/07:

ModSpace: unauthorized changes contributed to mold issue in District 15 portable classrooms

     
Wednesday, 14 November 2007

 
by Tammy Sakry
Staff writer

After hearing from Independent School District 15 that mold was discovered in the walls of portable classrooms at two elementary schools in October, ModSpace responded to the situation with a memo.

 
 
According to ModSpace, District 15 staff contributed to the leakage issues and the mold problem it is having with the leased portable classrooms by making unauthorized changes to the units.

The Pennsylvania company, which leases the buildings to the district, claims in a Nov. 6 memo that the district made unauthorized changes to the buildings’ heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems “...that threaten the air quality of the modular buildings and the safety of the district’s students and employees.”

Those modifications included replacing manufacturers’ recommended filters with unauthorized filters, which “...would have contributed to any air quality issues in the modular buildings.”

The preliminary report, filed after the Nov. 1 inspection by the professional engineer, showed the district also modified the HVAC system by adding a code-violating stack pipe, jumper wires bypassing HVAC thermostatic controls and disabling of HVAC safety controls, said ModSpace spokesman Kevin Bremer.

“HVAC systems are vital because they maintain the proper interior pressure and minimize any condensation on the interior of the buildings,” according to the memo.

“The end result is that the potential for water intrusion and condensation significantly and unquestionably increase as a direct result of the district’s actions.”

In its memo, ModSpace asserts the district has made several misleading statements, including whether district officials knew how old the buildings were, air quality tests and its maintenance records.

“The district’s report simply recounts a visual inspection and moisture readings of the modular building. (It) does not provide any air quality test results or causes of the noted problem.”

“The report also does not describe the modular buildings as uninhabitable or as unremediable as now claimed by the district.”

According to Bremer, ModSpace employees notified the district of the age of the modular buildings and their condition.

District officials reviewed and approved this information prior to receipt of the buildings, he said.

According to District 15 Community Education and Building Services Director Tom Larson, the district was not notified of the units’ age and the inspection by the district was to make sure everything was in working order.

“We don’t know what’s in the (walls),” he said.

It was only after the district accepted and agreed to maintain the modular building did water intrusion issues develop, claims the ModSpace response.

The district started having problems with the buildings as soon as they were opened September 2006, said Larson.

In October 2006, ModSpace reviewed the water intrusion and suspected mold issues and fixed and repaired the problems.

After that time, ModSpace claims it only received one service call in April 2007 on a broken window.

The district claims there have been many service calls.

ModSpace also claims “the district’s reckless response has made this situation even worse.”

“District officials made multiple ‘cuts’ into the walls of the modular building. These ‘cuts’ make it impossible to determine the air quality of the modular buildings because they threaten the integrity of the buildings’ air quality. They have made air quality worse, not better.”

The district made the cuts to determine the extent of the problem, said Larson.

Without cutting into the wall of the building, the district would not have known how bad the problem was, he said.

The district already had done an air quality test, which determined the air quality was better than the outside air, said Larson.

But the staff knew with water intrusion there was a potential for mold growth, he said.

“If we’re going to error, it’s going to be on the side of the safety and health of our students,” said Larson.

Options

Although there appears to be a dispute about who is at fault, ModSpace has given the district an option to fix the problem.

According to Larson, the proposal only deals with the removal of the fourth-grade units at St. Francis Elementary (SFE) School and remediating the third-grade grade units and all eight portable rooms at Cedar Creek Community School.

No specific schedule was proposed nor was the cost included, he said.

According to the district’s Web site, ModSpace has said it would cost the district $31,571 to dismantle and return the existing SFE classrooms and another $88,076 for the delivery and set up of “new or like new” buildings.

It’s a cost the district doesn’t find acceptable, said Larson.

According to the district, the proposed remediation by ModSpace would require the district to pay for the full repair.

That is not acceptable, said Larson.

According to Larson, district officials have met with legal counsel and have toured the portables with the engineers the district has retained to investigate the issue.

Tammy Sakry is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

ABC Newspapers | 4101 Coon Rapids Blvd., Coon Rapids, MN 55433 | Telephone 763-421-4444 | Fax 763-421-4315 | Copyright ECM Publishers, Inc.

--------------------------------------------

All stories

Company accuses school district of contributing to mold problem KARE, MN - 18 hours ago The Saint Francis School District has a new fight over a problem that forced several classrooms to be shut down. In October inspectors found mold growing ...