Maintenance Crews Working To Combat Mold At Riverside

During winter break, Riverside High School maintenance crews found an unwelcome visitor hanging around the empty classrooms: mold.

Investigation into possible causes of moisture in classrooms started last spring after several staff members complained of persistent respiratory problems. Mold can cause upper respiratory problems, cold and flu symptoms and headaches.

A group of local, regional and state officials inspected the rooms and found moisture in a wall under one window. They replaced it and did tests throughout the building to see if the problem was more widespread.

But it wasn’t until late December that maintenance crews discovered the extent of the moisture. When workers opened walls they were greeted by various splotches of black and yellow.

Immediately, officials isolated 18 rooms that are part of the high school’s 1994 addition by putting up plywood partitions and closing off the ventilation system. The affected rooms are now completely self-contained.

Eric Dickson, an industrial hygienist for Educational Service District 101, said that because the walls were covered with vinyl wallpaper, trapped water could not be seen as it spread into the drywall. “It’s like throwing a wet T-shirt in a plastic bag,” he explained. Though the wallpaper kept the water damage and mold hidden, it also kept it contained. No air could get in to dry it and no mold could spread out into the air.

Students haven’t been in the rooms since they returned from winter break. Riverside’s assistant superintendent Terry Weinmann said they will not return until officials are sure the problem is resolved.

That could be as soon as next week, he added.

Classes that met in the affected area are now shuffled among the library, tech room or empty classrooms.

To combat the mold, maintenance crews have gone into each of the 18 classrooms and removed dry wall and insulation. When they found mold, they sprayed it with a 10-percent bleach-and-water solution to disinfect it and stop the growth.

They’ve even checked the band room for moisture - even though that room has no windows.

“We don’t want to have to do this more than once,” Weinmann said.

School officials are being careful to cover all bases, he added. To ensure unbiased test results, an independent company from Chicago conducted tests to help determine the source of the moisture. As an added precaution, a certified asbestos remover was hired to clean out the moldy areas.

“We wanted to get someone who was overqualified - someone who really knows containment issues,” explained Doug Christy, assistant facilities manager.

“Our number one responsibility is for the welfare of the staff and students,” added Weinmann.

Once all the mold has been treated and the walls are completely dry, maintenance crews will replace the drywall, but will not do any finishing work. They plan to open the walls again this summer to make sure no mold has returned. With the wettest months yet to come, officials hope they’ll be able to spot any further water problems quickly.

“As soon as this is cleared up, we’ll start looking at heating and cooling concerns,” Weinmann said.

Of course, this all comes at a price.

So far, Weinmann said the mold has cost the district about $25,000. But by the time the problem is completely remedied, he said the sum could reach $150,000. Last week, Riverside received a state grant of about $25,000 dedicated to evaluating the school’s ventilation system, which will offset some of the expense.

Projected costs include hiring extra people to get the classrooms back in order and dealing with the ramifications of the test results. That could mean litigation, Weinmann said, if it can be determined that one particular item - like the windows or the caulking - is at fault.

But he is quick to point out that the source of the moisture has not been determined. And so far, there are no indications the teachers’ respiratory conditions are related to the mold or air quality, he added.

So, the investigation will continue.