by SARAH BOGAARDS

Residence hall conditions are being reviewed after students reported mold in their buildings, especially during the early months of fall semester.

Director of Environmental Health and Safety Chris Nickell said in an email interview that the Goodwin-Kirk residence hall is the main building experiencing “excessive humidity issues.” He said that he did not receive a number of “verified mold incidents” because some complaints did not find actual mold upon investigation. 

“In some places it almost looked like dust, but if you shined a light on it, it was like, ‘Oh God,’ that’s not dust,” said Alice Zieska, a resident of Goodwin-Kirk. She said an “underlying” smell in the room tipped her off, and she found mold on the carpet, dressers and bed frames a week later, around the end of September.

Nickell said his office gets reports of possible mold from several buildings every year, generally in the late summer and early fall months when it is still warm and humid outside.

“This is due to the fact that we are located in Iowa and the cyclical nature of the mold growth cycle,” he said in his email. 

Mold spores thrive on warmth and moisture, Nickell said, and surfaces made of organic material like wood, paper or fibers provide ‘food’ for mold.

“When we are responding to concerns about mold, we typically see a surface, such as a wall or carpet area where moisture made conditions for mold growth more likely,” he said. 

Sophomore Pema Zellman said nothing would stick to the walls in her room, and the bed sheets felt wet at night due to the increased moisture. Her roommates discovered mold on the carpet and windowsill of their Goodwin-Kirk dorm around early October.

Nickell said the chances for mold growth will dissipate with the onset of colder, drier weather, but the resolution of mold reports is ongoing for his office, Facilities Planning and Management and the Office of Residence Life. He said buildings will be evaluated for ways to improve air circulation and moisture control. Also, two new air conditioning units were installed at Goodwin-Kirk over fall break, said Lorissa Snowden, assistant dean of students and director or residence life.

If a relocation is necessary to resolve a maintenance issue like mold, Snowden said she coordinates with students and the other departments involved about when and if the student can return to their room.

“Any time a student is uncomfortable in their living space, I’m happy to work with them regarding a room change,” Snowden said. 

Neither Zellman nor Zieska had to change rooms. They both said the mold was cleaned by an employee from facilities within the same day it was reported. After the cleaning, both students received a dehumidifier, which they said has effectively reduced moisture.

Zellman said, however, that she brought her own mold killer back from fall break to tackle some residual mold in the dorm. Zieska also said mold was still present in a few places that were out of reach, like crevices of the bed frame.

Nickell said that he tries to speak with residents in person when they report mold, and he suggests ways to prevent its return, including “configuring their room to increase air circulation.” Students also received a document listing preventive tips like emptying trash and promptly cleaning spills.

In addition to building reviews, plans are in place to improve ventilation in the quads this summer, Nickell said.

source http://timesdelphic.com/2019/11/the-goodwin-kirk-mold-crisis-a-look-into-the-damage/

PINE BLUFF — Excessive moisture in the Jefferson County Election Commission office has resulted in mold contamination, which presents an unacceptable health hazard and puts 150 electronic voting machines at risk, officials say.

According to Commissioner Stuart Soffer, technicians from Aerus in Little Rock tested the air quality in the commission offices in Pine Bluff on Oct. 31, and discovered significant mold contamination.

«They came in with meters and the lady was disbelieving the readings she was getting in the [personal electronic ballot] room,» Soffer said at Wednesday night’s commission meeting. «So she called me in to look at the readings. The reading in the room was 73,300 particles per cubic foot.»

According to the report supplied by Aerus, the measuring equipment used by the technicians measured mold spores 1 micron or less in size, and 5 microns or larger. In addition to the smaller mold spores that measured 73,300 particles per cubic foot, the room also contained 16,800 particles per cubic foot of the larger mold spores.

The report said acceptable levels of mold contamination would be 2,500 particles or less per cubic foot of the smaller spores and 200 particles per cubic foot of the larger spores.

In the meeting area, the equipment measured 51,600 particles per cubic foot of the smaller spores and 10,000 particles of the larger spores. Throughout the building there was evidence of water damage and mold buildup, and an oppressive musty odor permeated the air.

«They found mold in the carpet,» Soffer said, «which we have been complaining about. In the heating and air room the readings were unbelievable and there was a pickle bucket in there with water and mold that has been growing because apparently one of the units back there was leaking, and the two air filters were black with mold.»

In the media room where commissioners work to prepare elections and to tabulate election results, mold was found growing inside the cabinets, Soffer said.

«The bottom line is that we cannot continue using this building,» he said. «We have a liability and if you knowingly expose people to this stuff, you’re setting yourself up.»

Soffer said Aerus had recommended a dehumidifier for the building at a cost of about $1,500 but he said the problems inside the building were too great considering much of the moisture contamination was coming from a building next door that was leaking into the election commission office.

He said he had looked over the former sheriff’s office facility in the county courthouse as an alternative and said it would be good because of the size of the office, its proximity to the county clerk’s office, and ramp access to the rear parking lot.

«The only thing I would want removed is one temporary, non-load-bearing wall they have as a partition,» Soffer said Wednesday. «We could conduct training at the Reynolds Center, but right now that’s the only fix that I can see because we cannot continue — in fact my advice tonight from a lawyer was to keep the front door open on this room. She was that concerned.»

In addition to the health problems presented by mold, a letter prepared for Gerald Robinson, the county judge, regarding the problem also noted that previous high levels of moisture in the building had resulted in 300 iVotronic voting machines being decertified because of corrosion on the motherboards.

Commissioner Ted Davis objected to Soffer calling in an air-quality technician without consulting with the rest of the commission and voted against sending a letter to the county judge on those grounds, but commission Chairman Michael Adam cast the deciding vote to send the letter.

«To take a company’s materials and send it over to the judge as opposed to indicating specifically that bids have to be gathered to do this work, I think that’s one of the things we have to look at,» Davis said.

Adam pointed out that if any decision was made to purchase anything, that decision would be up to the county judge.

«We didn’t offer to pay for it and in fact, I think commissioner Soffer said he would have them meet with the county judge,» Adam said. «I think that’s the appropriate situation because we’re not going to buy that.»

Contacted on Thursday, Robinson rejected the idea of the election commission moving to the old sheriff’s office, saying he already had plans for it.

«If they want to meet in the Quorum Court meeting room, I can allow that,» Robinson said. «But I have plans for that room so that’s out.»

Robinson said he didn’t know if there might be another building owned by the county that might be available and suitable for the election commission’s needs.

«That’s one of the things that I’m going to be looking at,» he said.

State Desk on 11/11/2019

source https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2019/nov/11/mold-growth-has-election-panelists-hunt-1/?elections

Some residents throughout the Mohawk Valley are still faced with the impact left from the Halloween storm, but as cleanup efforts continue residents are finding they are not alone.

On Saturday, a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) was held in Dolgeville — a community heavily impacted by flooding from the East Canada Creek.

«It’s really hard to know, if you’ve never been impacted by something like this, what your next steps are. And so, information is power even if you don’t think you need the resources here today, there might be something that you don’t think of,” said Mallory Brown, executive director for the American Red Cross.

Homes damaged by flooding could be susceptible to mold and other health risks.

«Standing water and wet materials are a breeding ground for microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, mold, and these can cause diseases,» said Amber Holbert, coo of BlueLine Disaster Solutions, Inc.

Herkimer County Public Health officials say mold is widespread throughout many communities in the flood’s aftermath. Holbert advises homeowners who think they may have mold to contact a professional to conduct testing.

In wake of the devastation throughout the Mohawk Valley, FEMA will be in Oneida and Herkimer County Monday thru Friday to conduct damage assessments. Some flood victims, as well as local leaders, have advocated for FEMA buyouts in areas that have dealt with several flood events. 

source https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/flooding/2019/11/16/marc-helps-dolgeville-residents-with-flood-damage

source https://www.prweb.com/releases/cayucos_mold_damage_company_announces_the_answer_to_why_is_there_mold_when_nothing_is_wet/prweb16721223.htm

KAWASAKI—A municipal museum here said it will temporarily freeze its collection of ancient documents and paper records to prevent mold growing after they were soaked in flooding triggered by a typhoon last month.

The museum, which opened in 1988, had to shut down after torrential rains from Typhoon No. 19 inundated its basement where the storage rooms are located.

The museum boasts a collection of about 260,000 items, including precious clay artifacts, antique documents and drawings.

It also has a sizable collection of manga, photos and video footage, making it a unique presence in the nation.

Items kept in the nine basement storage rooms were damaged in the flooding, as was power and ventilation equipment.

The museum estimated the damage at 7.2 billion yen ($66.2 million), or higher.

The museum initially planned to put the damaged articles in a cold storage warehouse as they need to be kept at a low temperature to prevent mold growing after being soaked.

But officials decided to do otherwise as the warehouse also stores food.

After weighing possible options, it was decided to place the paper articles in freezer containers that will be installed on the museum’s premises.

On the issue of repairs, city officials are soliciting donation from the public to help finance them.

The museum took out insurance to the tune of about 4.2 billion yen on about 90,000 items in its collection. It said the policy was only for fire and theft, so no insurance money will be forthcoming.

source http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201911160044.html

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Questionable home sale teaches one young couple a tough lesson  FOX 29

source http://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/questionable-home-sale-teaches-one-young-couple-a-tough-lesson

WEAVERVILLE (CBS13) —  It’s rare that a school superintendent asks a reporter to investigate his district, but Jamie Green was so desperate to protect California students that he came to CBS13 for help. It was only after hidden toxic mold devastated the Trinity Alps School District, that Green realized just how dangerous invisible mold spores could be.

Turns out there is no required mold testing in schools – or any indoor air quality regulations, protecting kids in classrooms.

Now the Trinity County Department of Public Health plans to set the nation’s first mold safety threshold for schools, and Superintendent Green is calling on lawmakers to protect students state-wide.

ALSO READ: What To Do If You Suspect Your Child Is Getting Sick From School?

HEALTH ISSUES

Alyssa Keyes and her son were both new to campus at Weaverville Elementary last year.

“I had an upper respiratory infection last year, my son had pneumonia, we had respiratory issues throughout the classroom for three full months,” recalled the preschool teacher, who goes by Miss Aly. “I was the sickest I’d ever been,” she added.

Chyann Giddings’ son was also new and suffered from headaches and respiratory issues. “We actually had an attendance meeting because he was out of school a lot sick,” Giddings said.

Mom, Hanah Parkenson, says her older daughters had suffered from chronic bronchitis and migraines on campus for years.

Like the other parents, she chalked it up to normal kid stuff. Then, last summer, everything changed.

DISCOVERING HIDDEN MOLD

School superintendent Jamie Green was just as shocked as the parents to learn that there was toxic mold lurking in his schools.

“Until you test for it until you look for it, you just don’t know,” Green said.

After someone flagged a mold patch in a cafeteria, they decided to hire an Industrial Hygienist to test for airborne mold spores district-wide.

“It was very high, the highest I’ve seen,” recalled Kristalynne Anderson, Trinity County Director of Environmental health. “And this is not our first set of schools to have [a] mold issue.

Anderson immediately quarantined the buildings on both campuses after mold tests found spore counts ranging from a few hundred spores/m3 to hundreds of thousands. It was only then that they started searching for hidden mold and, across the district, they found it hiding under carpets, behind walls, and in the ceilings.

SWIPE TO SEE PICTURES OF THE MOLD FOUND INSIDE TRINITY ALPS

MOLD CONCERNS STATE-WIDE

Anderson notes that Trinity County does not have a particularly humid climate. She, along with many others, believes there are schools across the state with hidden mold issues just as severe as theirs.

In fact, a state report to the legislature in 2004 found the majority of California schools surveyed reported signs of moisture or mold in their classrooms.

The report linked mold spores to allergies and asthma, noting asthma was the “number one cause of chronic school absences, accounting for as many as 3 million missed school days a year.”

Fifteen years later, there is still no required testing for mold in schools and no law that regulates air quality in schools. However, the Department of Education tells CBS13 that mold concerns are the most common complaint that they get.

The state reports the primary health hazards for mold in schools include asthma, allergies, respiratory infections, eye irritation, and rashes, like eczema.

However, more severe symptoms ranging from tremors to memory loss have been reported. 

NO MOLD LIMITS IN SCHOOLS

Weaverville Elementary school principal Katie Porpurko says she was shocked to learn there are no state or federal guidelines for airborne mold spores in schools.

“My frustration came from, once those test results came back, What did they mean? I don’t know,” Porburko said. “We had to do research on our own.”

She struggled to provide guidance for parents and faculty, like Miss Aly and school secretary Deanna Briggs, who’s currently on chemo. Briggs’ doctors say she’s immune-compromised and at greater risk for infection. She worked in one of the buildings with the highest spore count.

“There just isn’t a guideline out there, and that’s what was shocking to me, Briggs said.

“As a teacher, our number one job is to keep them safe and if we don’t know what the harm is we can’t do our job,” Miss Aly added.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) insists they can’t set science-based exposure limits and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) notes that standards for acceptable or normal levels have not been established.

Both agencies recommend against the type of airborne mold spore testing done by Trinity Alps, noting that it can be expensive and difficult to interpret without established limits or standards. Unlike some other states, California does not require mold assessors and remediators to be licensed so the industry is largely unregulated here. There are no federal mold licensing regulations.

CDPH adds, “The establishment of health-based permissible exposure limits for indoor levels of mold would imply that some levels of mold are safe, when in fact, they may not be.”

Instead, both agencies say that any visible water damage, mold or musty odor is unhealthy and should be immediately addressed.

However, Green argues, “It’s invisible unless you test for it!”

Trinity Alps Unified stresses that they didn’t know they had water damage or mold until they tested the air and started ripping open walls to look for the source.

“It’s an invisible toxin so you don’t know it’s there. “It grows in dark places so it’s not visible on the wall,” Green points out.

He notes that there is a set threshold for student safety when it comes to lead in the water and wildfire smoke outdoors, but there is nothing regulating the indoor air that students breathe for much of their eight-hour day.

Teachers do have some mold protections under the CAL/OSHA regulations for workers. In some countries, students are classified as workers, because they’re working in school, so they also have protections. But students have no indoor air quality protections here.

“It’s time for the state to look into the air quality of students in their buildings,” Green said.

NO TESTING IN SCHOOLS 

“If (schools) were tested on a regular basis you wouldn’t have these multi-million-dollar projects.” Green argues. “You would know that one classroom is at a high level you would simply abate that classroom and you would move on and keep student safety.”

He points out that his district spent millions over the summer to build a temporary campus made up of portable classrooms until they can secure the state funding needed to safely clean and restore their buildings.

Green worries the funding could take years to get and fears other districts might be tempted to leave kids in contaminated classrooms as they wait.

State law does require that schools are “maintained in good repair” which includes being free from water damage and visible mold. Schools have access to a voluntary visual checklist, known as the “Facility Inspection Tool” (FIT), to help them document any signs of moisture or mold. The results are incorporated into the annual School Accountability Report Card (SARC). 

But the inspections are self-regulated by the districts themselves and, according to the state, “FIT was designed to be a visual inspection tool by a common person.” The Office of Public School Construction, which developed the tool, acknowledges the FIT would not have identified the issues in Trinity noting, “The mold in Trinity Alps case could not be seen until it penetrates the ceilings or walls.”

Green stresses that if schools were required to test for airborne mold spores earlier, they might have identified the hidden problem earlier and avoided this massive mitigation that could bankrupt the district.

SETTING THEIR OWN LIMIT

Tired of waiting for regulators to step in, Trinity county has decided to do what the state and Feds have not. The director of Trinity County Public Health disagrees with CDPH’s assertion that science-based mold exposure limits can not be established.

“I think that there is a way to set a limit. And here in Trinity, we are working on a way to do that,” Anderson said.

The Trinity County Department of Public Health plans to set the nation’s first mold safety threshold for schools. They plan to use the  naturally-occurring outdoor mold spores as a baseline, taking indoor and outdoor readings every day for a year, and using an average of the two to establish an indoor threshold for classrooms.

“So if the inside levels are much higher than the outside levels, you have something inside your building producing mold. Find it eradicate it move on,” Green explains.

They stress that they still intend to address any visible mold or moisture issues – regardless of the spore count. But setting an airborne baseline will alert them to when they may need to search for hidden mold that can’t be seen.

“I think we will be the first school in the country where we’re going to say we will not allow our students to breathe toxic air. And we’ll have a number… and it will be scientific and it will be data-driven,” Green points out.

ROAD TO RECOVERY

In the meantime, it’s not clear how long students will be stuck in temporary portables without a cafeteria, library or gym.

But teachers are optimistic that it will be a healthier year.

“I have to wonder if it’s not related,” Mrs. Aly said.

“It’ll be really interesting to see as the cleanup happens. Do our illnesses go down?” added Principal Porpurko

A neighboring school reported a drop in sick days and an increase in attendance after mitigating their campus for mold.

Hoopa High School reports their attendance increased from 82.2% during their mold remediation in the 2016/17 school year, to 94% last year, their first full year with the new facilities. They add that they are already on track to see even higher attendance this year.

Superintendent Green is now calling on lawmakers to require regular mold-spore testing in schools, making it his mission to shed light on what’s growing in the dark.

STATE & FEDERAL RESPONSE 

To date, no California or Federal health agency has been willing or able to set a mold threshold for students.

We spoke on background with five different agencies, but none would agree to an interview on the record.  Each agency did stress, however, that any level of mold can be dangerous, and that any building can be contaminated regardless of climate.

The EPA notes that indoor mold is generally due to water intrusion and leaks, related more to building materials and plumbing than climate. They also note that an increase in mold and “some moisture problems in buildings have been linked to changes in building construction practices during the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.”

There is a voluntary federal program to help schools identify and prevent indoor air quality problems, but the state found, at last check, in 2004, only 11% of California schools took part. Neither CDPH or the EPA could provide updated numbers.

source https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2019/11/15/hidden-toxic-mold-lurking-schools-no-one-testing/

Many of today’s new and innovative healthcare devices are made from a combination of thermoplastic resin and specialty medical components like cannula, tubing, wires, cables, stampings and delicate sensors.

Advancements in molding technology have offered the ability to mold delicate components directly into the devices, rather than being incorporated later through machining, gluing, or ultrasonic welding.

Now, while this technology might not be brand new in and of itself, the process has been re-invented with the use of book molds.

The vast majority of vertical molding equipment on the market is configured with the top half of the mold attached to the upper platen of the molding machine. The top then closes down with force onto the bottom plate.

Traditionally, it is often difficult to hold delicate inserts in place during the injection molding process (even more so with horizontal molding machines). The possibility for delicate inserts to be interrupted or misplaced is greater than what manufacturing managers would like to admit.

The inserts loaded in the bottom half must be held securely in place so that, when the top closes, neither the mold nor the delicate insert is damaged. Damage to the mold can be substantial, especially when the two halves close under high tonnage around steel or other rigid materials, so it is important to locate and secure components in place carefully during molding. Still, factors such as operator misplacement or shuttle/rotary table vibration can mean damage to the mold or the inserts.

A solution that has helped eliminate these complications is using bookmolds mounted on a rotary table press. Bookmolds have become prevalent in the production of medical devices, specifically for medical injection molding.

Bookmolds are mounted to vertical clamp/vertical injection molding machines that have multi-station rotary tables. The molds consist of top and bottom mold halves that are connected with a hinge in the back so the top half can be lifted open.

The hinge is the lynchpin of the mold and ensures each opening and closing is exactly the same no matter what type of machine it is on.

Like conventional molds, bookmolds may have taper locks to maintain alignment between both halves and avoid shifting. A tapered sprue bushing is located on the top of the mold so that, when the mold is opened, the sprue and runner will remain in the bottom half.

Ejectors are installed in the bottom half to lift out finished parts along with the sprue and runner, so multiple cavities are often well suited for bookmolds. A handle is often mounted on the top half for easy opening, which can be done either manually by the press operator, or with a stationary ramp.

Medical manufacturing and the medtech industry are constantly pushing technology to new heights for fresh perspectives on healthcare devices. And it is manufacturing advancements like bookmolds that continues to help the medical device companies bring safe and innovative solutions to patients.

source https://medcitynews.com/2019/11/medical-manufacturing-finds-security-in-bookmolds/

PINE BLUFF — Excessive moisture in the Jefferson County Election Commission office has resulted in mold contamination, which presents an unacceptable health hazard and puts 150 electronic voting machines at risk, officials say.

According to Commissioner Stuart Soffer, technicians from Aerus in Little Rock tested the air quality in the commission offices in Pine Bluff on Oct. 31, and discovered significant mold contamination.

«They came in with meters and the lady was disbelieving the readings she was getting in the [personal electronic ballot] room,» Soffer said at Wednesday night’s commission meeting. «So she called me in to look at the readings. The reading in the room was 73,300 particles per cubic foot.»

According to the report supplied by Aerus, the measuring equipment used by the technicians measured mold spores 1 micron or less in size, and 5 microns or larger. In addition to the smaller mold spores that measured 73,300 particles per cubic foot, the room also contained 16,800 particles per cubic foot of the larger mold spores.

The report said acceptable levels of mold contamination would be 2,500 particles or less per cubic foot of the smaller spores and 200 particles per cubic foot of the larger spores.

In the meeting area, the equipment measured 51,600 particles per cubic foot of the smaller spores and 10,000 particles of the larger spores. Throughout the building there was evidence of water damage and mold buildup, and an oppressive musty odor permeated the air.

«They found mold in the carpet,» Soffer said, «which we have been complaining about. In the heating and air room the readings were unbelievable and there was a pickle bucket in there with water and mold that has been growing because apparently one of the units back there was leaking, and the two air filters were black with mold.»

In the media room where commissioners work to prepare elections and to tabulate election results, mold was found growing inside the cabinets, Soffer said.

«The bottom line is that we cannot continue using this building,» he said. «We have a liability and if you knowingly expose people to this stuff, you’re setting yourself up.»

Soffer said Aerus had recommended a dehumidifier for the building at a cost of about $1,500 but he said the problems inside the building were too great considering much of the moisture contamination was coming from a building next door that was leaking into the election commission office.

He said he had looked over the former sheriff’s office facility in the county courthouse as an alternative and said it would be good because of the size of the office, its proximity to the county clerk’s office, and ramp access to the rear parking lot.

«The only thing I would want removed is one temporary, non-load-bearing wall they have as a partition,» Soffer said Wednesday. «We could conduct training at the Reynolds Center, but right now that’s the only fix that I can see because we cannot continue — in fact my advice tonight from a lawyer was to keep the front door open on this room. She was that concerned.»

In addition to the health problems presented by mold, a letter prepared for Gerald Robinson, the county judge, regarding the problem also noted that previous high levels of moisture in the building had resulted in 300 iVotronic voting machines being decertified because of corrosion on the motherboards.

Commissioner Ted Davis objected to Soffer calling in an air-quality technician without consulting with the rest of the commission and voted against sending a letter to the county judge on those grounds, but commission Chairman Michael Adam cast the deciding vote to send the letter.

«To take a company’s materials and send it over to the judge as opposed to indicating specifically that bids have to be gathered to do this work, I think that’s one of the things we have to look at,» Davis said.

Adam pointed out that if any decision was made to purchase anything, that decision would be up to the county judge.

«We didn’t offer to pay for it and in fact, I think commissioner Soffer said he would have them meet with the county judge,» Adam said. «I think that’s the appropriate situation because we’re not going to buy that.»

Contacted on Thursday, Robinson rejected the idea of the election commission moving to the old sheriff’s office, saying he already had plans for it.

«If they want to meet in the Quorum Court meeting room, I can allow that,» Robinson said. «But I have plans for that room so that’s out.»

Robinson said he didn’t know if there might be another building owned by the county that might be available and suitable for the election commission’s needs.

«That’s one of the things that I’m going to be looking at,» he said.

State Desk on 11/11/2019

source https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2019/nov/11/mold-growth-has-election-panelists-hunt-1/

The Dublin Unified School District Board of Trustees unanimously approved an emergency resolution for $250,000 of repair work Tuesday night after two inspections detected signs of mold at the Nielsen Education Center earlier this year.

The presence of mold means about a dozen staff members at Nielsen will temporarily relocate to the former Kaleidoscope property while the Nielsen site is repaired “before the rain season starts and mold re-activates,» according to district staff.

During that time, the district said “a repair and renovation of the existing two portables at the Kaleidoscope site is needed in order to accommodate the staff transfer.”

There are no students at the Nielsen site, which sits on the eastern side of the DUSD district office grounds, since it ceased operations as a school in 2009. The former campus has found a second life in the past decade and is now used for district storage and training events.

Normally a public notice for bids is required before issuing a contract, but California law allows a school district’s governing board to approve repairs or replacement of a public facility without issuing a bid during an emergency.

In February, the district performed an inspection at the Nielsen site for roof leaks, water damage and mold, including a visual inspection and tape lifts for mold samples, followed by another in October that also included air samples. According to district documents, “both reports came back positive for mold on the tape lift samples albeit all samples are dormant.”

The air samples did not show elevated mold spores in all areas, particularly those currently occupied on a regular basis, but staff said “there are specific areas (hallways) in the main building that the levels are elevated.”

DUSD spokesman Chip Dehnert told the Weekly in an email on Thursday, “The possibility of renovating the Nielsen site, or building a new school on the site (and removing the old one, similar to what is going to happen at Frederiksen and Murray) has recently been discussed as a way to address continued growth in Dublin, but given the lack of action on the bond measure that was on Tuesday night’s Board agenda, it’s not clear when or if that will happen.”

According to Dehnert, staff from Nielsen will be at the Kaleidoscope property “indefinitely”, where construction will start in several weeks and take about a month to complete. Deferred maintenance funds will cover the $250,000 budget for the Kaleidoscope renovations.

source https://www.pleasantonweekly.com/news/2019/11/15/mold-prompts-emergency-repairs-at-dublin-school-district-site