SCHOOL HAS MOLD AND MILDEW PROBLEMS - Room By Room Cleaning Being Done

(08/19/2002)

Calhoun school personnel are doing battle with mold and mildew at Calhoun Middle/High School. Administrator Donnie Pitts said "We are in the process of doing a room by room cleaning to remove as much as possible." "We are doing everything we can to provide the best possible environmental conditions for students and staff at the start of school," said Pitts. "We feel confident that our efforts are working." While the problem is not new, it is probably worse this summer because of the high heat and humidity. "I would estimate the problem is moderate to severe in about 10 classrooms and slight in others," he said. The problem may be directly related to the outside air dampers. Pitts said the damper problem has been very difficult to detect since indicators show the dampers are fully closed. He said a number of outside people have been looking at the problem, and "We are making adjustments to the dampers." Two special HEPA vacuums are on order to help take care of the problem, providing better cleaning without reintroducing dirt back into the air. Pitts said experts at the State Department of Education suggested a three-day drying cycle to stabilize humidity in the rooms. The school has been occupied with several programs during the summer, which has caused the system to be running in "fully occupied mode," which may have caused an imbalance in the heating-cooling operation. "We are doing everything possible to keep this problem from happening again," concluded Pitts.

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