Mold In School May Be Precursor To Bigger Problem
POSTED: 5:50 AM EDT April 30, 2004
Officials said fixing all the problems would cost the district more than a billion dollars. But did the lack of money create the roof problem, which led to moldy conditions at one elementary school?
Work crews are trying to repair the roof at Samuel-Coleridge Taylor elementary school. It has been leaking inside of the school's library since September that created mold and a few days ago, an order to shut the building down.
"Not only is it old, but its been neglected for decades," said chief operating officer Carlton Epps.
A top school official said the district was aware of the problem, but had no reliable way of tracking monthly work orders, which could have helped finish the job sooner.
That may be changing.
"We are able to tell what work needs to be done," said Epps. "We are able to look at that report to see what might be a problem and be able to follow through to make sure things like this don't fall through the cracks."
But how long has the crack been open?
Too long for school officials who said they've put off millions of dollars in building repairs because of the lack of money.
"The board did a study several years ago and found over $600 million in deferred maintenance," said chief executive officer Dr. Bonnie Copeland. "So we need all the additional money we can get."
Work crews will use what's already in the school budget to try and head off what happened to Samuel Coleridge-Taylor elementary.
Students out of school because of the mold will not have to make up those days.
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