Middletown Schools Mold Cleanup Not as Costly as Expected

The bill for cleanup of five city elementary schools affected by mold won't be as costly as expected, according to Marco Gaylord, director of Fine Arts and District Operations for Middletown Schools.

"If we had let things go it, could have been a very ugly situation," he says, following last week's discovery of mold by a Snow School elementary custodian. Since then, Gaylord says, four other schools were found to be affected. 

"A small area of microbial activity in the very beginning stages of growth was discovered," he says. Immediately, the district took steps he called "proactive" to halt conditions that encourage mold spore growth, such as dehumidifiers and running air-conditioning at the schools that have it 24 hours a day.

The board of education's insurance police does not cover mold issues, according to Mayor Dan Drew, who says costs will be borne by the schools' budget.

There are eight Middletown elementary, two middle and one high schools in Middletown. Woodrow Wilson Middle, Spencer, Bielefield and Farm Hill elementary schools were also hit by mold. Moody, Lawrence, Wesley, Keigwin Middle and Middletown High schools had no evidence of growth.

Large amounts of rainfall last week and heat and humidity in the past 10 days created a "perfect storm," Gaylord says, for mold growth.

He confirmed there is no indication mold was present at any of the public schools when classes were in session.

The board has called in environmental consulting firm GeoInsight of Middletown and BELFOR of Wallingford to handle remediation and Gaylord expects an estimate very soon.

The good news is the damage is not as extensive as it could have been, he says, citing the superintendent's quick response to the discovery, placing at total 60 dehumidifiers in those buildings.

That also means it won't be as costly to remediate. "We're very pleased with the results," Gaylord told Middletown Patch.

Carpeting at the affected schools has been removed, he says, and replaced with tile flooring as a preventative measure.

Cleanup at Snow and Bielefield schools, where spots on carpeting in some classrooms were confirmed, will be more involved, Gaylord says, because of the water table at the former and drainage issues at the latter.

The bigger issue, Gaylord says, is many of the older school buildings are not air-conditioned. That is something he says the board of education will work on remedying proactively to prevent future issues.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, molds can produce allergens that can trigger allergic reactions or asthma attacks in people allergic to mold. 

Full remediation in a school building isn't easy, the CDCP reports. "It is impossible to eliminate all mold and mold spores in the indoor environment. However, mold growth can be controlled indoors by controlling moisture indoors." 

The decision to re-open a building following such cleanup, according to the CDCP is a responsibility of the school administration."Ultimately, this is a judgment call; there is no easy answer."

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