Mold Keeps Congregation Out Of Sanctuary

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Mold Keeps Congregation Out Of Sanctuary

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?

storyid=52219

By

First Coast News

SWITZERLAND, FL -- Father Ed Booth packs them in at San Del Rio

Catholic Church.

" We just continue to grow with the rest of St. s County, " Booth

explains.

The congregation in the Switzerland community of St. s County

built a $6 million sanctuary right next to its other sanctuary. It's

three times the size of the old one. However, the members can't go

inside because something else has already move in: mold.

" There are people who are allergic to these types of molds and could

possibly get very ill, and we can't take that chance, " Booth

explains.

The mold was discovered in the spring of 2005. Nearly a year later,

the building is still sitting empty and partially unfinished,

according to county documents.

" I see it all the time, " Bart Piniaz says.

He owns BP Mold Remediation in St. Augustine.

" I've seen it from $4 million homes to trailers. It's everywhere. "

Piniaz inspects houses for mold and removes it. He does not know the

story behind San Del Rio Church, but he's not surprised to hear

mold has cropped up in a brand new building. More than 50 percent of

his business is new construction. He blames the problem on cheap

labor.

Piniaz says, " A guy that gets paid $8.50 an hour, you expect him to

stay another 40 minutes, 15 minutes that he's not getting paid for,

to do the right job? He's not. He's gonna go home and then the

company suffers. I see it all the time. "

First Coast News has learned county building inspectors have not

approved a certificate of occupancy for the sanctuary, in part

because of the mold, partly because the building isn't finished.

For mold to play a factor in delaying a certificate of occupancy is

unusual. The county does not check for mold when it inspects

buildings. According to the Indoor Environmental Standards

Organization, no government in the country has a mold baseline. So

there's no standard that says -- this amount of mold is unfit for

humans.

When St. s County is notified about mold in a building, the

county recommends the contractor or owner find a mold remediation

specialist, like Piniaz.

San Del Rio's Sanctuary is the only building the St. s

County Building Director knows of that's being held up because of

the mold. There may be mold in new construction elsewhere in the he

county, but he says it's not holding up moving in.

" We'll get beyond this and our parish will grow, " Booth says. " You

know, we're moving on! "

However, until the mold is gone, the sanctuary stays closed, and the

church members and priest stay faithful.

" It's aggravating, " Booth says. " I asked the congregation for their

patience. I asked them to pray about the situation. "

Created: 2/20/2006 7:12:14 PM

Updated: 2/20/2006 7:21:48 PM

Edited by , Reporter