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By Erin Smith
Elevated levels of mold have been found in at least two rooms of the Bladen County Courthouse and Bladen County officials say remediation efforts are under way.
Humidifiers are operating in the Jury Deliberation Room and the District Court Room, on the third floor of the Courthouse and the Southeastern Community and Family Services room in the basement of the Courthouse. The District Court Room has been closed since Monday, October 8, and District Court Judge Scott Ussery has been using the Bladen County Commissioners meeting room to hear cases, according to Bladen County Manager Greg Martin.
“We had mold testing performed on September 24th and we obtained the results on October 5th,” said Martin.
He said the results of the testing indicated at least two rooms in the building had elevated levels of mold in them.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we want to address the issue so we won’t have an ongoing problem,” said Martin.
The mold testing was performed by EMSL Analytical of Morrisville. The tests indicated elevated levels of mold were found in the Southeastern Community and Family Services room. The elevated mold level found in the room was for Aspergillus/Penicillium. The total fungi count for the room was 5,700.
The District Court Room also indicated elevated levels of Aspergillus/Penicillium. The mold spore count was 4,520 parts per cubic meter. The room also had “acceptable levels” of Ascospores and Basidiospores. The room had a total fungi count of 5,350 parts per cubic meter.
Several areas of the Courthouse which were tested indicated slightly elevated levels of Cladosporium, Stachybotrys/Memnoniella, and pollen.
Outside of the Courthouse, the air was tested and indicated a total fungi count of 3,330 parts per cubic meter. The tests indicated outdoors, an Aspergillus/Penicillium count of 200 parts per cubic meter and Basidiospores count of 2,000 parts per cubic meter.
A Mold Spore Guide from Air Analysis, Inc. in Florida notes that when mold spore counts reach between 1,500 to 3,000, it can potentially indicate a dusty building. The Mold Spore Guide reads that when mold spores reach between 3,000 and 10,000 a need for remediation is indicated. You can read the Mold Spore Level Guide here.
Bladen County officials have already undertaken the task of remediation for the mold and moisture issues.
Kip McClarey, General Services Manager for Bladen County, said a fogger has been ordered and once it arrives in Bladen County, it will be used in the cleaning of the district court room. A compound called Microban is being used to clean the mold.
McClarey the fogger will be utilized in the district court room and the air conditioner which serves that room will be operating during the treatment process.
“We will do this after hours when people are not in the building,” said McClarey of the treatment.
He explained Microban is utilized to remove mold growth and mold spores. McClarey said the courthouse also has a moisture issue that ocurred during the storm. He said the north and east sides of the Courthouse are showing signs of moisture which is trapped inside the walls. He said the issue ocurred during Hurricane Florence when it was discovered the rain was leaking around the window sills and indications of moisture intrusion were found on the north and east sides.
He explained that the courthouse was built in the late 1960s and building technology was very different at that time. The walls were constructed with a brick veneer over concrete block and a layer of plaster on the interior. McClarey said the moisture seeped through the bricks and became entrapped in the between the plaster and the block wall.
In the Jury Deliberation Room, you can see where the plaster is bubbling and paint is peeling as the moisture tries to escape. There are also stains in the ceiling of the District Court Room where the roof was leaking during the storm.
In the Bladen County Register of Deeds office, Beverly Parks said the roof leaked in that room as well as having moisture intrusion from the walls and leaking ocurred around the windows. While repairs have been made in the office, paint and plaster in the Register of Deeds is still “bubbling” and is being blamed on moisture that remains trapped within the walls.
“It (rain) came in through the wall,” said Parks, who serves as Register of Deeds.
She said immediate;y following the storm County employees scraped and painted the walls in an attempt to repair the damage from Hurricane Florence. The Register of Deeds and the Clerk of Superior Court offices remained closed an two extra days for repairs and clean up.
“We couldn’t allow the public in until it was fixed,” said Parks.
In the vault area of the Register of Deeds office, you can see signs where the ceiling has leaked. No records were lost or damaged.
Parks said the Register of Deeds office tested negative for mold.
In the basement level of the Courthouse, there are boxes of records and furniture stacked in the hallways that show signs of having been wet.
Both Martin and McClarey said the air conditioner for the Courthouse has been inspected for moisture intrusion and none was found.
The building is scheduled to be retested for the presence of mold spores on Monday, October 15th. Those test results will determine whether more remediation will be needed.
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