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Roof leak prompts mold fears
By Tricia Pursell
The Daily Item
MIDDLEBURG — Maintenance workers found a leak in the roof of Middleburg
Elementary School on Thursday, three days after a PTO representative told the
district’s school board that the problem appeared around Easter and that she feared
an outbreak of mold would cause breathing problems among pupils.
Jen Arbogast also said that because there have been discussions about renovating
the school, Midd-West School District officials seem torn about how to proceed and
don’t want to spend a lot of money on repairs before a possible larger renovation
project.
Workers located and began to fix a leak Thursday, district business manager Lynn
Naugle said. However, there are other several smaller leaks that need to be found
and fixed, she said.
“It’s going to be repaired,” she said of the roof. “It’s just a matter of getting up
there, taking the stone off and finding it. And we’ve done that.”
The maintenance crew has been looking for the leaks for a while, and have found
the biggest ones, Naugle said, adding that she did not know where the leaks were,
or what classrooms were being affected.
Arbogast said the problem appeared in April. After maintenance workers and roofing
contractors surveyed the roof several times without finding the leak, buckets were
placed under the leaks, and the moisture created odors and concerns about mold.
Children’s asthma risk more than doubles if their surroundings smell of mold,
according to a March 2005 article by Jim Burkhart, Ph.D., and science editor for
Environmental Health Perspectives. Exposure to mold can also trigger allergies in
children and has also been connected to learning disabilities.
Midd-West tested air quality after complaints were received, and found there was
some mold, but that the levels would not be hazardous, Naugle said.
However, Arbogast said the presence of any mold may create concerns for children
with breathing difficulties.
Arbogast said she wants the district’s assurance that the problem will be corrected
by the start of school in the fall.
“I wouldn’t want my child in that classroom,” she said. “They need a safe learning
environment.”
Naugle said the board has not yet made a final decision on the renovation project.
“It’s still the planning stages,” she said, “but they have not committed to that
project yet.”
By Tricia Pursell
The Daily Item
MIDDLEBURG — Maintenance workers found a leak in the roof of Middleburg
Elementary School on Thursday, three days after a PTO representative told the
district’s school board that the problem appeared around Easter and that she feared
an outbreak of mold would cause breathing problems among pupils.
Jen Arbogast also said that because there have been discussions about renovating
the school, Midd-West School District officials seem torn about how to proceed and
don’t want to spend a lot of money on repairs before a possible larger renovation
project.
Workers located and began to fix a leak Thursday, district business manager Lynn
Naugle said. However, there are other several smaller leaks that need to be found
and fixed, she said.
“It’s going to be repaired,” she said of the roof. “It’s just a matter of getting up
there, taking the stone off and finding it. And we’ve done that.”
The maintenance crew has been looking for the leaks for a while, and have found
the biggest ones, Naugle said, adding that she did not know where the leaks were,
or what classrooms were being affected.
Arbogast said the problem appeared in April. After maintenance workers and roofing
contractors surveyed the roof several times without finding the leak, buckets were
placed under the leaks, and the moisture created odors and concerns about mold.
Children’s asthma risk more than doubles if their surroundings smell of mold,
according to a March 2005 article by Jim Burkhart, Ph.D., and science editor for
Environmental Health Perspectives. Exposure to mold can also trigger allergies in
children and has also been connected to learning disabilities.
Midd-West tested air quality after complaints were received, and found there was
some mold, but that the levels would not be hazardous, Naugle said.
However, Arbogast said the presence of any mold may create concerns for children
with breathing difficulties.
Arbogast said she wants the district’s assurance that the problem will be corrected
by the start of school in the fall.
“I wouldn’t want my child in that classroom,” she said. “They need a safe learning
environment.”
Naugle said the board has not yet made a final decision on the renovation project.
“It’s still the planning stages,” she said, “but they have not committed to that
project yet.”
