Contractor hired to fix water-leak damage in Swanton school
2/23/2010The Swanton Board of Education has hired a contractor to clean up damage to an unused portion of Swanton Middle School caused by water leaks several years ago.
Quandel Group Inc. of Westerville, Ohio, is to be paid up to $15,000 to remove damaged ceiling tile and drywall, take up floors if necessary, and apply anti-microbial spray in six rooms affected by the roof leak in the portion of the building built in 1904.
The proposal that the school board approved last week provides for Quandel to be paid $59 an hour for labor and a 10 percent markup on materials. The firm expects a two-man crew to need eight 10-hour days to finish the cleanup.
As of late last week, the work remained to be scheduled.
The cleanup was recommended by the Fulton County Health Department even though authorities determined, in response to a parent's complaint, that mold that had grown on the tiles and walls before the leak was fixed had not caused any health risks within the school's active area. The mold died once the moisture feeding it was cut off.
"We shall assume no health hazards exist based on EPA reports on previous mold," Quandel's work proposal to Superintendent of Schools Paulette Baz stated.
Mrs. Baz said there have been no further health complaints about the building since the one Dawn Neal filed last year on behalf of her daughter, Zoe, who developed recurring respiratory problems while attending the school.
The building's oldest rooms have been unused and isolated from the rest of the school for years and, according to previous school board discussion, would need extensive renovation if they are to be used again.
Quandel's proposal said that although the water-damaged ceilings could be repaired if the district orders that, such work was not factored into its schedule.