STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WSAW) — Owners of a Stevens Point hotel are getting more time to make some much needed improvements but the city could still tear it down.
Comfort Inn and Suites in Stevens Point. Sept. 18, 2019 (WSAW)
Back in June the city of Stevens Point gave owners of the Comfort Suites 60 days to fix the place up. It’s been closed since May but has faced issues for years. It’s seen water damage, mold issues and just deteriorating construction.
Mayor Mike Wiza says as long as there is progress the building won’t be torn down. «If it turns out nobody is turning out to the job site for three weeks we are probably going to reinstate the raze order. We can do that anytime but as long as they have a plan we have agreed to suspend the raze order.»
In the mean time the public is not allowed in the building. Wiza says electricians have pulled permits to begin work on the building.
From Florida to Washington state, inclement weather continually poses a variety of problems for architects, builders and homeowners alike. Moisture infiltration from excessive precipitation and high humidity can cause significant issues with residential building performance, leading to long-term damage from mold, mildew and rot. To protect against moisture build-up, many construction companies have begun seeking materials with reliable weather-resistant features.
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Don’t panic: Steps to take if your car sustains flood damage
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Flash flood warnings have been issued as Tropical Storm Imelda works its way into the Houston-area.
It is anticipated that some areas will receive 3-6 inches of rain by Wednesday morning with continuing rainfall through Wednesday night.
In addition, cars may suffer damage as roads throughout the area are subject to flooding. If your car is affected, there are some immediate steps you can take.
Here is what the National Auto Dealers Association (NADA) recommends:
• Don’t start a flooded vehicle until a thorough inspection and cleaning is performed. Starting the car with water in the engine could cause more damage. • Take immediate steps to dry the vehicle as much as possible to reduce the length of time vehicle components are exposed to water. • Get the vehicle towed to higher ground if floodwaters are receding. • Remove all moisture from the car if the interior got wet with a wet/dry vacuum. Remove seats if possible and use fans to quicken the drying process. • Contact your insurance company or agent and promptly report the exposure of your vehicle to water or flood. • Record the highest level of water exposure on a flooded vehicle. • Contact a certified technician to arrange for an inspection and evaluation of all mechanical components, including the engine, transmission, axles, brake and fuel system for water contamination. • Flush and replace all fluids, oils and lubricants, and replace all filters and gaskets for components exposed to water. While a vehicle may drive with fluids that have experienced water intrusion, extended internal exposure to water will increase the level of damage to the engine and other vehicle components. • Many repair facilities recommend a thorough cleaning of brake parts and repacking of bearings, particularly for rear-drive vehicles. In front-wheel-drive vehicles, bearings are sealed. • Some of today’s vehicles have padding and insulation that don’t easily release moisture. In this situation, it’s most effective to replace the materials to prevent the forming of mold or mildew that may contaminate the entire vehicle
STOCKTON, Calif. — Paul Sanguinetti has seen it all when it comes to being a farmer. The fourth-generation Stockton grower has seen September rain before and knows it’s not good.
«We’ll have to see what this weather does. What I’m saying is we get the wind, maybe it doesn’t get too hot and they dry off and maybe we’ll be OK,» said Sanguinetti.
Sanguinetti and his two sons grow 300 acres of cannery tomatoes used for ketchup, pasta sauce and more. He also grows walnuts. Harvest began a couple of days ago and will continue until close to the end of October. Until it’s over, he has to keep an eye towards the sky at times.
«Rain has a tendency to mold the tomatoes,» Sanguinetti said.
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Many other crops this time of year are also prone to damage from ill-timed weather. One major crop is the wine grape.
The Lodi Grape Growers Association says 40 percent of the grapes have been harvested, so there is always a chance bad weather could do damage. In this case, Stuart Spencer, executive director of the Grape Growers, said not much rain fell around Lodi and it was «spotty.»
Bruce Blodgett with the San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation said a number of crops could sustain some damage this time of year.
«Water is moisture. You have mold, those types of issues, so you can get some spoilage,» explained Blodgett. «Almonds stand to be impacted. Alfalfa hay that’s on the ground will be impacted. A whole host of things.»
What’s the best way to clean mold from a bottle of wine?
—Jess, Wichita, Kan.
Dear Jess,
Wine cellars need to be a little humid to prevent corks from drying out—70 percent humidity is considered ideal—which means mold sometimes happens, clinging to labels and even corks. Mold can be a little messy, but it won’t damage the wines. Nevertheless, you may want to clean up those bottles for presentation or for auction, but stay away from cleaning products, which absolutely can damage your wines!
There’s not much you can do about mold that’s penetrated a label, but to clean mold from the glass, just wipe it with a clean, soft cloth towel. Avoid cleaning products, especially anything containing chlorine (chorine is a key component of TCA, the compound responsible for so many cork-tainted wines). If you want to be a little more aggressive, you can try using a diluted rubbing alcohol solution, or just a little hot water.
Like most of the village, the record-setting storm surge from the passage of Hurricane Dorian just after dawn on Sept. 6 severely damaged Ocracoke School, effectively closing it.
School officials are optimistic classes can resume in other island locations in about two weeks.
“There was water and mud everywhere, from 10 to 12 inches in the school, to 40 inches in the shop class,” said Steve Basnight, Hyde County’s schools
superintendent. “The day after the storm, we were able to bring down two contractors and our maintenance director Paul O’Neal from Mattamuskeet, and by Sunday morning, we had hired a company to come in to initially do mold and muck mitigation.”
That included removing the standing water and mud, and mold had already begun to grow inside the building. A reading in one of the classrooms had a humidity of about 89 percent.
The school is one of the last in North Carolina that includes all grades from pre-K to senior class. Total enrollment this year is 174 students. The campus, at the end of School Road, stretches to Back Road, with an outdoor basketball court and playground. Along with the main building, there are separate buildings for the library and industrial arts classes on the first floor of the former building of the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department and a trailer for high school English that was destroyed.
The main building will require extensive repairs and there is a strong likelihood is that the school building, save for a small section, will be closed the entire academic year.
So, dealing with school infrastructure repairs and, more importantly, getting the students back to class, is a two-fold challenge.
Basnight said he and Principal Leslie Cole immediately started looking at the options of reopening.
On Monday they visited island locations that did not receive water damage and which could possibly be used to hold classes.
Possible sites are the Child Care Center, the Sunday morning Bible classrooms and the fellowship hall in the Ocracoke Life Saving Church, two classrooms at the North Carolina Center for Advanced Teaching (NCCAT) and the open area of the WOVV studio on the second floor above the damaged shop class.
Other less appealing options include using the daily ferries to the mainland for classes and getting modular class-room units.
Although initially appealing, the drawback for modular classrooms is it would take between six weeks to three months for them to be delivered.
Hyde County Superintendent of Schools Steve Basnight. Photo: P. Vankevich
On Friday afternoon, Basnight was hopeful that since the second floor of the elementary classes was not flooded it would pass the air quality test and could be used. He later received the good news that they were safely accessible and could be used.
While he stressed that everything is still in play and subject to change, he laid out the possible class locations:
Pre-K, kindergarten and first grade: Ocracoke Child Care
Second through fifth grades: upstairs in the elementary section of the school
Middle and high school classes: to be determined but include NCCAT, the Life Saving Church and the open area of the WOVV studio.
Another challenge is that teachers, like students’ families, are working on their own damaged houses.
“We have teachers who have absolutely lost everything and that’s always in the forefront of our mind when we’re balancing that with the need to get back in school,” Basnight said.
To add to the crisis, much of the classroom materials throughout were destroyed and will have to reordered, and teachers will need time to analyze their class needs. The school library also suffered water damage and is currently closed.
Although the sports programs of the Ocracoke Dolphins and Lady Dolphins teams will be taking a major hit, Basnight is optimistic that the basketball program might still be held, albeit at a scaled-down version.
Any games would have to be away. With the amount of water the school gym received, he suspects the flooring will have to be replaced.
“Multiple schools have reached out inviting us to visit them to play a game on Friday night and a morning one on Saturday,” he said. “One school offered their facilities for us for practicing and it’s just been incredible the number of people that have asked, ‘How can we help?’ and ‘We can move our schedule around to make it more convenient for you.’”
Basnight was greatly appreciative of the support and advice he has received throughout the state, and especially from the school superintendents in the southeastern counties of Craven, Pamlico and Onslow because of what they went through last year with Hurricane Florence.
He has also received support from the Department of Public Instruction.
This story will be updated as the school works its way back reopening.
Editor’s note: Many people want to help Ocracoke post-Hurricane Dorian. The island appreciates that and will need much help in the months to come. In addition to other island groups and fundraising efforts, monetary donations are being accepted for Ocracoke School via Hyde County Schools, P.O. Box 217, Swan Quarter, NC 27885. Write in the memo line: Ocracoke School.
Ocracoke School PTA also is accepting donations: Ocracoke School PTA, P.O. Box 626, Ocracoke, NC 27960.
The water damaged Ocracoke School gym floor. Photo courtesy of Ocracoke School
The Hurricane Dorian flood water line inside Ocracoke School. Photo courtesy of Ocracoke School
The damaged outside basketball court. Photo: P Vankevich
Q. The concrete steps at my house are moldy and kind of green on the risers, except where I applied a concrete sealer. I did it badly, so you can see areas that look like drips. How can I safely clean the concrete?
A. When you ask for a way to «safely» clean concrete, you don’t say whether your goal is to protect the concrete, yourself or your plants. Luckily, it’s possible to do all three.
The least expensive option is to use a little chlorine bleach (just $2.78 for half a gallon at Home Depot) diluted in water. Bleach solution doesn’t damage concrete, but it isn’t something you want in your eyes or on your skin or clothing. You could wind up with spots of white or odd colors because bleach affects fabric dye colors unevenly. So before you start working on your steps, put on old clothes, long rubber gloves and goggles, and have a bucket, a sponge and a synthetic scrub brush handy.
(On a small job such as cleaning a couple of steps, there’s probably little risk of splashing a lot of bleach solution onto nearby plants. But just to be safe, you can cover the plants closest to the steps with an upside-down cardboard box. Don’t use clear plastic tubs or a sheet of clear plastic, especially if it’s a sunny day. Enough heat can build up under the plastic to wilt the leaves or even kill the plants. Or, instead of covering your plants, you can mist the leaves with water before you apply the bleach solution to the concrete. This is the best approach when there is a lawn right next to concrete that needs cleaning. Pre-moistening dilutes any splashes, protecting the plants.)
When everything’s ready, sweep or vacuum the steps to remove loose dirt and debris. Then mix three-fourths to a cup of bleach with one gallon of water, and sponge it onto all the areas where you see the green stains. Keep sponging on more as needed so the concrete stays wet for five to 10 minutes. Scrub with a synthetic brush, then rinse thoroughly. Repeat the process if the concrete is still stained. Rinsing with a hose will dilute whatever cleaning solution is still on the concrete, so it won’t harm plants where the water drains.
If you don’t want to use chlorine bleach, there are other ways to kill mold or algae, but don’t use vinegar, which is often touted in advice pieces online. Vinegar is acidic, and acids degrade concrete. Stick with cleaners that have a neutral pH (seven) or are alkaline (above seven). Acids are below seven, and those that have a pH of three or lower are especially harmful to concrete. Distilled white vinegar has a pH of 2.4 in the 5 percent strength sold in jugs at grocery stores.
One product that’s labeled for use on concrete, as well as numerous other materials, is Wet & Forget Moss, Mold, Mildew & Algae Stain Remover ($24.38 for a half gallon at Home Depot). It’s designed so that you can dilute it and spray it on, then just wait for the growth to die and the stains to disappear; no rinsing necessary. The directions say to use a pump sprayer, but for a small area, such as your steps, you could probably make do with a spray bottle.
Or you can try using a non-chlorine bleach, such as OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover ($13.48 for a 7.22-pound box) or Scotts Outdoor Cleaner Plus OxiClean ($10.98 a gallon). These products are appealing because you don’t have to take any precautions to protect plants or worry about any splashes damaging your clothes (although you still need to protect your eyes and skin). However, if you read the information for the Scotts product, you’ll see that it doesn’t actually kill mold; it just takes out mold stains. Does that distinction matter? Probably not, because killing mold is a rather futile goal. There are so many mold spores floating around in the air that when conditions are right, mold will grow. Whether it’s dead or alive, you just want it off your concrete.
If you already have OxiClean that you use for laundry, see if it works. Mix four scoops of the powder with a gallon of warm water. Apply and scrub as if you were using a chlorine bleach solution, except wait 30 minutes before rinsing. Or if you buy a specialty cleaner, follow the instructions on the package. If you get the surface clean, it worked. If not, use chlorine bleach or a cleaner that says it kills and removes mold.
Whatever method you use, once the concrete is clean and dry, apply sealer to the risers so they get the same protection that you’ve already given to the treads. Although you look at your steps now and notice the drips of your «bad» application, the sealer clearly did work: The drips aren’t moldy, nor are the treads.
This story is part of an ongoing anniversary series on Hurricane Florence, which struck in September 2018, and the storm’s lingering effects on Carteret County and its residents.
CARTERET COUNTY — One year after Hurricane Florence caused the centers to close their doors, the two Boys & Girls Club of the Coastal Plain units had an official ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday, welcoming the community back.
Hurricane Florence hit the area in September 2018, and the Beaufort teen unit and the Sunshine Lady Club in Morehead City sustained significant damage.
While the sites were closed, the Beaufort teen unit met at the Old Beaufort Elementary School cafeteria, while the Sunshine Lady Club met at Morehead City Primary School and sometimes the Morehead City/Beaufort Elks Lodge.
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Beaufort teen unit Saturday, Boys & Girls Club of the Coastal Plain President and CEO Kimberly Boyd said the anniversary of Hurricane Florence was the perfect opportunity to welcome the community back to the sites.
She talked of the damage that Hurricane Florence left behind, as well as the support of a community that rallied behind the Boys & Girls Club in the aftermath of the storm.
“We were very blessed to have the community step forward so we could open June 13, nine full months after the storm,” she said.
Ms. Boyd thanked specific members of the community who got the clubs back on their feet.
“The town of Beaufort can not be any prouder of the Boys & Girls Club,” Beaufort Commissioner Sharon Harker said. “Great futures start here and this is the youth that’s going to be continuing on, and we are glad to have a place for them to continue to grow, to learn and to be mentors for others. Because many of the Boys & Girls Club members who were here in the past have come back and continued on with that process and they continue to instill pride in them, and that’s what we need in our future.”
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, guests learned about the damage the storm caused, as well as got a first-hand look at the renovations to the club.
At the Beaufort teen center, three windows blew out, causing the roof to leak. Through the duration of the storm, water soaked everything in the building, causing mold to grow.
The game tables and furniture had to be thrown away and the kitchen had to be redone. The center’s technology was covered, so it was spared from damage.
A few club members were on site Saturday showing off new portions of the club. In the gym, members could play games like dodgeball, basketball and soccer.
Janara Bryant and Jasmine Ahmed, members of the Beaufort teen unit, said they enjoy the new space.
“I like it. There’s better equipment,” Jasmine said.
Janara agreed.
“I think it’s more open,” she said. “It’s not all about a nice room, but when you see a nice room, people want to come more.”
Over at the Sunshine Lady Club, members of the community gathered for a ribbon cutting and a small presentation, followed by a day of fun with food and bounce houses.
The Morehead City location was hit harder than the Beaufort teen center during the storm.
A corner of the roof in the gym lifted during the storm, which caused a portion of the wall to collapse and parts of the floor to dip. The interior of the building was covered in mold. The mold grew over the kitchen and the eating area.
Everything had to be replaced as it was considered a safety hazard.
The new renovations include all new game tables and technology. The education room now has white-top tables where club members do homework.
“We still have some work to do, but we are getting there,” Ms. Boyd said.
Sedricka Courman, the Sunshine Lady Club director, said she was thrilled to be back in the building.
“It’s heaven on Earth,” she said. “The parents are happy. The kids are happy … we are just grateful.”
Officials said the clubs sustained no damage from Hurricane Dorian, which hit the area earlier this month.
Contact Megan Soult at 252-726-7081, ext. 228; email megan.soult@thenewstimes.com; or follow on Twitter @meganCCNT.
Concerns from one tenant at the city-owned Chinook Pier led to a larger investigation which has uncovered spores of mold in some areas of the commercial buildings.
While the immediate price tag to clear the mold will be more than $25,000, City Council members said during their Sept. 3 meeting that there will be additional costs.
Ashley Latsch, assistant to the city manager, said the mold is not harmful to shop owners, employees or patrons.
“The inspector verified with us this is not a type of spore that is harmful to people,” she said. “The average healthy person should not be impacted by this. However, we hope to act quickly because our tenants are in there on a daily basis.”
Initially, a single tenant brought the issue to city employees’ attention. Latsch said that, upon investigation, she heard more concerns from other tenants about possible mold in their buildings.
A mold inspector was then hired to do a walk-through of the Chinook Pier buildings.
“They found this to be a more widespread issue,” Latsch said, “with those issues stemming from the severely increased water levels that we’ve had with pretty significant standing water in the crawl spaces at Chinook Pier this year. That certainly wasn’t helped with the humidity levels.”
The Chinook Pier buildings experienced up to 6 inches of water in the crawl spaces. Small pumps were used to remove the water, but the damage had already been done.
Latsch said ServPro, a mold remediation company, used a tool to determine where mold could be in the buildings based on the device detecting damp drywall in areas such as mechanical rooms.
“ServPro is going to block off these areas, remove the drywall and go through the process of removing spores, if they find any,” she said, noting work is scheduled with the shop owners in mind so as not to hinder their business.
After ServPro finishes their work, an inspector will visit the site again to make sure the mold is gone. Contractors will then be needed to fix the drywall, Latsch said.
“I’ve had to deal with this on occasion. I know it can be pretty intrusive,” said Councilman Bob Monetza, noting by the time work is completed it could cost much more than the $25,753 approved to hire ServPro to remove the mold. “I just want us to be aware, this isn’t the end of the story. This may get rid of the mold, but you’re left with a building full of compromised walls and problems that need to be fixed. I guess my biggest concern is that we talked about the standing water that was in the crawl spaces.”
Dan Vivian, facilities manager for the city, said there has not been an issue with water in the crawl spaces before now, and he is looking at solutions to ensure a similar situation won’t happen.
“We are solving the problem that exists now,” Monetza advised. “If we don’t properly get to the root of it and solve that, then we’re going to be doing this again.”
Damage Mold 