City defends repairs to Marine Terminal

[Guest guest]

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

City defends repairs to Marine Terminal

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/060321terminal.shtml

By TOM BELL, Portland Press Herald Writer

Portland,ME

A consultant hired by Portland officials has determined that the

city's $1.3 million effort to repair the International Marine

Terminal has addressed all concerns about toxic mold.

" The repairs and restoration have made this building relatively

watertight, and there haven't been any problems since then, " said

Mark , president of Environmental Safety and Hygiene in

Westbrook.

is critical of a National Institute for Occupational Safety

and Health report that says the city has removed much of the visible

mold in the building but has never fixed the underlying water-

leakage problems.

The NIOSH report is based on an inspection that was done a year ago,

when the city was in the middle of fixing the building,

said. He said the agency never returned to re-examine the building.

" It's not a true representation of the big picture, " said of

the report.

The Boston Globe ran a story on Saturday about the report, under the

headline " Portland fails to fix sea terminal. "

Portland officials held a press conference at the terminal on Monday

to voice their complaints about the Globe article, which said that

the terminal remains closed, costing the region's economy millions

of dollars in tourism revenue.

City Manager Joe Gray said the terminal is fully leased and occupied

by several companies, including Bay Ferries, which plans to begin

ferry service to Nova Scotia in two months.

Many of the ferry's prospective passengers live in Massachusetts,

and Gray said he's worried that Globe readers will cancel their

plans to ride the ferry this summer.

" The tourism industry is a vital part of Portland's economy, " Gray

said, " and we simply cannot stand idly by when misinformation is

presented to the public as fact. "

The Boston Globe is looking into the assertions of Portland

officials, said Caffrey, a business editor at the newspaper.

NIOSH gave the city a copy of the 26-page preliminary report in

October. A final version containing additional technical information

is expected to be released within a few weeks, a spokesman for the

agency said Monday.

The preliminary report, which is based on a March 2005 inspection,

said extensive water damage and mold found in the terminal is the

type that can lead to respiratory illness.

Elevated levels of toxic mold caused Scotia Prince Cruises to

evacuate the building in August 2004. The ferry company, which

canceled the 2005 season, is now suing the city for $160 million in

damages, according to Gray. The city and the ferry company are in

arbitration.

The NIOSH inspection of the terminal occurred March 9 through March

11, 2005.

On April 6, Scotia Prince Cruises faxed a letter to the city that

said it would cancel the 2005 season because the city had failed to

fix the mold problems at the terminal, according to Mark Hudson of

Scotia Prince Cruises.

Later that day, Portland officials said they had terminated the

Scotia Prince's docking lease and would seek other tenants.

's company examined the terminal in May, September and

December. In December, the firm found some mold associated with a

soiled carpet. The carpet has since been removed.

Staff Writer Tom Bell can be contacted at 791-6369 or at:

tbell@...