Mold overtaking Newberry Sheriff's Office

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Mold overtaking Newberry Sheriff's Office

Tamara King on mold in the Newberry Sheriff's Office

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4333844

Columbia,SC

(Newberry) Jan. 8, 2006 - Newberry County Sheriff Lee has

uncovered a big problem in his office's building that he is pointing

out to WIS, " This is a mold growing here. "

The Sheriff's Office moved into the new building three years ago,

but already there is mold growing there.

Sheriff says, " We started noticing more of the black mold on

the walls, the baseboard and the carpets. "

But that is not all. says the mold could even be making

people sick, " I have had, been treated since August for bronchitis,

sinusitis, a bronchial infection. "

The Sheriff says the department wants the problems fixed, but it's

complicated because the man who built the building is a County

Council member.

Chairman Mike Hawkins says, " It's delicate when you are dealing with

one of your members, sure, but I believe this Council can sit down

and objectively look at the situation and come to a conclusion and

decide what needs to be done, the same way we would with any other

contractor. "

Hawkins says contractor and Council member Edgar Baker hasn't

offered to fix the problem, so now Council is trying to decide what

to do. Further complicating the issue, Baker is already contracted

for two more county projects, together totaling almost $200,000.

Hawkins says, " Depending on how this goes, then that is a

possibility in the future that the county might say that a

contractor that, where you had problems, couldn't build again. "

says he wants Council members to come up with a solution and

do it quickly. " We just want it fixed and we want our employees

safe. "

Hawkins says the Council will have a full report on the moisture

problems by the end of next week and then they will make a decision

on how to proceed.

WIS spoke to councilman Edgar Baker over the phone and he says he's

not commenting on the problem until Council makes a final decision.

Posted 1:10am by Chantelle Janelle