Mold in Capitol forces closings

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Mold in Capitol forces closings

October 11, 2006

Rutland Herald - Rutland,VT

By Louis Porter Vermont Press Bureau

http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

AID=/20061011/NEWS/610110381/1004/NEWS03

MONTPELIER — A mold infestation in the bottom floor of an addition

to the Statehouse has closed that portion of the building and is

forcing the state to spend up to $30,000 to correct the problem.

The mold has grown behind wallboard in the offices of the

Legislative Council, the group of researchers and assistants who aid

legislators. About eight cubicles have been closed for several weeks

while work is being done.

Officials said the offices should reopen by January, when the

lawmaking session begins.

Workers are adding a ventilation system that uses suction to keep

areas behind the wallboard dry. Officials are hoping the system also

prevents mold from affecting workers if it grows back.

" We will have additional testing after the work is complete, " said

Tasha Wallis, commissioner of buildings and general services.

The work, which is not yet complete, is expected to cost about

$30,000.

The problem probably developed because the foundations for the

Statehouse and the addition are set into bedrock, portions of which

were blasted away during construction. In the lower offices, water

condenses or runs over the bedrock into spaces behind the walls.

The foundation's construction makes it almost impossible to

completely eliminate water that creates an environment conducive to

mold, said McArdle, project engineer for the Department of

Buildings and General Services. This year's unusually rainy weather

may have added to the problem, he said.

In addition to installing a new ventilation system, which draws air

from behind interior walls and sends it outside, the workers have

sealed cracks along the outside walls of the building and rebuilt

interior walls with mold resistant materials, McArdle said.

Mold in buildings can be difficult to get rid of and can cause

health problems, including allergies, according to the Vermont

Department of Health. The state is investigating whether the state

office building in Bennington has made employees sick, after an

unusually large number of workers there appeared to contract

illnesses that could be related to mold or bacteria.

The Statehouse was built in 1859, and the addition where the mold

was found was erected in 1899, said Curator Schutz. Almost all

of the additions to the Statehouse have required additional blasting

of bedrock. The marble floor of the Statehouse is laid directly onto

leveled and smoothed bedrock, without a basement below it, he said.

The floor's black and white marble is from two Vermont quarries. The

black marble is from the now-closed fossil-rich quarry of Isle la

Motte. The white marble is from Danby.

, chief legislative counsel, said temporarily losing

office space has not yet interfered with his staff's work, since

some employees who use the space work only during session months,

and others found makeshift workspace within the building.

" They have been able to find seats in the committee rooms, " he

said. " It hasn't been a problem for us yet. "

And it's possible it never will be. A large fan that draws air from

the moldy part of the building has been delivered, and the work

should be finished soon, Wallis and McArdle said.

Because the part of the building infested by mold already had a

circulation system designed to completely replace the air every few

minutes, McArdle said he doubted any workers were at risk for

developing mold-related problems previously. Still, the addition of

the new venting mechanism should eliminate the potential for a

problem, he said.

Contact Louis Porter at louis.porter@....