Plano Independent School District's Jupiter Center closed for additional mold testing

[Guest guest]

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=1594193 & BRD=1426 & PAG=461 & dept_id=1

86027 & rfi=8

Center remains closed for additional mold testing

By MATT PEARCE, Staff writer March 28, 2001

The Plano Independent School District's Jupiter Center remains closed to

students and staff, as it undergoes more mold tests this week.

Sands, executive director of facilities for the PISD, said the

district's insurance company is now conducting its own evaluations and will

provide estimates on repairs and cleanings. Industrial Hygiene and Safety

Technology, an environmental consulting firm, has already conduct rounds of

mold tests at the school.

IHST estimates that it will cost $67,131.30 to fix the Jupiter mold

problems, with $28,437.50 going to mold remediation. This includes

decontamination of affected walls and items in certain areas.

Other costs are $22,500 for ventilation system cleaning, $10,850 for carpet

removal and $5,434.80 for carpet cleaning. Sands said the district will wait

for the insurance company's figures before it begins extensive cleaning and

repairs.

" We have an idea from the greatest to the least amount of things to be

done, " he said. " But right now we're waiting on the insurance company to

tell us ... so we'll have two opinions. "

The Jupiter Center houses several PISD preschool programs. Since March 19,

school business has operated at the First United Methodist Church because of

the mold situation.

According to IHST test results dated March 15, high levels of apergillus,

cladosporium and various other molds were present in several locations. The

most heavily affected area was the north side of the building.

Certified Industrial Hygienist Bramlett, who conducted the IHST tests,

said he found traces of stachybotrys, which IHST did not detect in an

earlier round of tests. He said stachybotrys levels were not high, but need

to be taken care of.

" In situations like this, if I find airborne stachybotrys, it means it's

been distributed somewhere, " Bramlett said. " Typically, it will not get

airborne unless someone's come in contact with it or somebody's done

something to generate it. "

Bramlett said stachybotrys, often called " black mold, " is common is

households. He said it can grow in many places, and is harder to detect than

other molds.

" Anywhere you've got Sheetrock, you can have stachybotrys if you've got a

water source, " Bramlett said.

The danger of stachybotrys depends on each individual, Bramlett said. It

does not harm most people, he said, but those with certain health problems

and immune system weaknesses can be affected.

" Even though it's a clean area for 95 percent of the people that are in the

building, one person could be susceptible, " Bramlett said.

When Bramlett conducts tests, he said, he looks for molds capable of

producing microtoxins because they give off volatile organic compounds. IHST

did find one such mold, chaetomium, but in relatively low quantities.

Sands said given IHST's latest findings, he is happy about the decision

March 16 to move the children out of the Jupiter Center.

" Several weeks ago, when we tested, it wasn't that high of levels, " he said.

" But it's pretty high now, so I'm glad we got them out of there. "

Sands said the problems are particularly high on the north side of the

building because the wall is not sealed. The school was once reduced in size

by 45 feet on that side to make room for the Eckerd Drugs next door.

When heavy rains fall, Sands said, water from the Eckerd roof can seep

through the Jupiter Center walls and floors.

Sands said Hartford Insurance, PISD's company, drilled a hole through the

north wall this week, and found that no mold had penetrated through it. This

came as good news to the district.

" What's migrating is just migrating on the surface of the wall, " Sands said.

" It's not inside the block wall. "

©Plano Star Courier 2001