Re: Town Hall air stirs storm

[Guest guest]

Town Clerk still away from work

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?

newsid=17100224 & BRD=1379 & PAG=461 & dept_id=162906 & rfi=6

By: Jim 08/24/2006

, husband of Town Clerk Ginny , addressed the

Town Council at their Monday, August 21 meeting about Ms. 's

inability to return to work and that they feel the town has

done " little or nothing " to resolve the situation.

Ms. went on sick leave from her position in February 2006

with symptoms she attributes to microbiologicals and bad air quality

from mold caused by infiltration of water into the town hall.

According to Mr. , she has Adult Onset Asthma and mold-

related allergies. Mr. said that Ms. 's pay has been

cut off and that the council " won't supply a safe place " for Ms.

to work.

Mr. stated that while he understood why the town was having

a study done on the roof of the Town Hall, which he referred to as

a " sick building, " the council was " putting the cart before the

horse. "

" It's more important to protect those employees that still work

there and the public that enters that building every day, " according

to Mr. .

Currently nine employees still work in the Town Hall building, and

according to Town Council Chairman Joe Pawlak none of them are

exhibiting any signs of sickness or anything similar to what Ms.

is claiming.

Mr. claims that Ms. 's doctors have asked for " much

more comprehensive " studies done of the air at the hall to

allow " better treatment " of Ms. by documenting all the

microbiologicals she has been exposed to, and the council has not

responded to the requests. Mr. also said a toxic mold called

stachbotrys was present at the hall, and if any was present, " better

testing is required. "

" The Town Council has by its actions and lack of actions discharged

a statutorily elected town clerk, " Mr. said.

Mr. asked the town council to relocate the Town Hall

employees to a location that is " clean and safe, " and to authorize

the proper cleaning and remediation of all records at the Town Hall.

He also asked for full testing of all three levels of the Town Hall.

Ms. , in an August 7 letter to Attorney General

Blumenthal asking for assistance, claimed that she has

been " obstructed " from the performance of her office by the

town's " refusal to address the issues. "

Though the town offered Ms. the currently vacant Town

Manager's office, Ms. said she refused for four reasons:

First, because at the time of the offer, she had not been released

by her doctors to return to work; second, the Town Hall Annex also

has water incursion problems and moldy records; third, the offer

would place her " in a vacant office with no staff, no equipment, no

vaults and no records; " and fourth, the town has shown " no

willingness " to remediate the mold from the records.

Ms. says that surface testing and cultures on the records is

a necessity, according to her doctors, and that blood testing by the

Fungal Research Center has shown that she has " been exposed to toxic

molds. "

Mr. Pawlak stated in an interview Tuesday, August 22 that though

movement is slow, the Town Council is " taking steps " to resolve the

situation, but " can't go in and do something without gaining more

information. "

The town received air sample testing from OSHA on Monday, August 21,

and the air was shown to be " fine. "

The town has also installed a dehumidifier in the basement to keep

moisture away from the records.

" We have also offered Ms. space at the Town Manager's vacant

office and an office at Depot Street, " Mr. Pawlak said. " She would

have access to phone and e-mail to contact her staff, but for

whatever reason she has said it would not be practical. "

Mr. Pawlak said the town " has to be prudent " on how it spends its

money, and that he feels the prudent thing is to do the study on the

roof.

" We are taking steps, but we aren't going to rush into anything, "

said Mr. Pawlak. " When we have all the information, we will take

whatever steps are necessary to ensure everyone has a safe working

environment. "

--- In , " tigerpaw2c " <tigerpaw2c@...>

wrote:

>

> Town Hall air stirs storm: Clerk's husband says Watertown has

wrong

> priority

>

> Wednesday, August 23, 2006

>

> BY TOMMY VALUCKAS

> Waterbury Republican American - Waterbury,CT

>

> http://www.rep-am.com/story.php?id=11515

>