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Mold keeps schools closed

MICHAEL HOLTZMAN , Staff Writer  08/26/2003

NORTH SMITHFIELD -- Cleaning and disinfecting of mold at the Halliwell School, 11 buildings comprising 22 classrooms, has continued day and night since Friday.

A Providence company should conclude the work by Tuesday or Wednesday with test results from a California lab that’s looking at the impact of the mold known a day or so later.

 By the end of this week, school officials should know the test results, along with test results from North Smithfield Elementary School, which like Halliwell has been closed to teachers since mold was discovered about 10 days ago on Aug. 15, Superintendent M. Richard Scherza said during an interview Monday night.

He’s "guestimating" the cleanup and remediation, virtually all of it for Halliwell, could cost the school district about $125,000.

Asked when he’d be able to release more specific figures, Scherza said, "I’d like to know by the end of the week so people can know by the weekend."

He noted teachers are slated to report to the high school on Sept. 2 for orientation, and students and staff begin school the following day.

I’m also confident we’ll open and we’ll open well. The staffing is on track," he said.

More than 20 teachers have been hired for this school year, including about 10 new positions, all of which have been filled, Scherza said. An orientation solely for new teachers and staff is being held today at the high school.

While Scherza said only two or three rooms at NSES showed traces of mold the size of one’s hand in a scattered few pieces of furniture, he said cleaning and mold testing at this school precipitated the precaution of keeping teachers out of the building after large amounts of mold were found inside the Halliwell buildings.

The high school, part of NSES and several decontaminated buildings at Halliwell have been tested for mold and sent out for testing by Thomas E. Hamilton, owner of OccuHealth Inc., Mansfield, Scherza said.

He said one wing of NSES was still being cleaned by custodial staff and would be tested later this week. "If they’re decontaminating them, we just can’t have them (teachers) in there while we’re decontaminating," said Scherza when asked about NSES.

That school underwent significant remediation for mold and its ventilation systems two years ago. Both Hamilton and Scherza said the small appearances of mold there do not reflect re-occurrence of past problems.

At the high school, where a language lab carpet that remained damp was removed for precautions, decontamination cleaning was not necessary, Scherza said.

Hamilton has stressed the mold problems here have been rampant through the region and reflect high humidity and condensation rather than roof leaks or other structural defects.

The school district hired a cleaning company recommended by Hamilton, Serve Pro of Metro Rhode Island, which has come in with crews of about a dozen workers or so, working as late as midnight through the weekend and beyond, Scherza said.

He said additional crews have been sent to apply a biocide decontaminant to destroy bacteria and mold and encapsulate the areas they’re applied to, further inhibiting the growth of mold, which can be harmful to the health of children and adults.

As of last night, the final four Halliwell classrooms remained to be done, which could be completed as early as today, Scherza said. Halliwell houses about 400 pupils in grades 6 to 8, while NSES has about 650 pupils from pre-school to Grade 3.

Asked when teachers will be able to enter their elementary classrooms, Scherza said, "As soon as Tom (Hamilton) tells me we have good readings and it’s safe. I’m hoping Wednesday should be the day they notify us.

"I know it’s caused some inconvenience for teachers, but I’d rather error on the side of caution," Scherza said.

He said Marianne Lowe, president of the North Smithfield Teachers Association, had been kept abreast of the cleanup progress. A telephone call sent to Lowe last night was not returned.

Scherza said the NSTA has not issued any complaints. "I think if we were not doing what we were doing, that would have cause for complaint," he said.

While Scherza said the work to counter this "bombshell," as School Committee Chairwoman Christine A. Charest called it, has gone "smoothly," he was asked if it’s been viewed by teachers as a major disruption. "Other than setting up their rooms, to my knowledge it has not been a problem," he said.

Scherza vowed to continue communicating information so that parents and the public know how the mold cleanup is proceeding as it relates to the safe opening of school, as well as knowing the financial impacts.

He said the three major costs consist of paying the cleaning firm, Serve Pro, replacing the drop ceiling tiles from 22 classrooms and paying overtime to their 21-member custodial/maintenance staff that’s also worked nights and weekend hours.

One piece of positive news, he said, was that the district appears to have a surplus that can cover costs in the range he projected. Through ongoing cost savings, Scherza said, "I try to find a 1-2 percent surplus each year for things like this mold issue at Halliwell.

"You don’t know a year and a half ago that this is going to come up," he said.

Scherza anticipates offering a further update at tonight’s School Building/Space Needs Committee, which includes the School Committee. It will be held at 7 o’clock at the high school.

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