Alamance County’s commissioners agreed to designate or redirect about another $6.8M for mold cleanup, as well as including comprehensive HVAC cleaning at several schools with the most serious mold infestations. That brings the total amount designated for that purpose to about $16½M, based on figures discussed during Friday’s meeting.
Previously, school officials had indicated two schools with toxic mold, the more serious variant to allergenic mold: Broadview Middle and Cummings High School. Subsequently, toxic mold has also been discovered at various locations at Eastlawn and Haw River elementary schools; Woodlawn Middle School; and Eastern and Graham high schools.
School officials also listed another 10 schools where mold has been detected, bringing to 27 the total number of schools with some degree of mold found.
The newest additions were at Altamahaw-Ossipee, B. Everett Jordan, Grove Park, Highland, Pleasant Grove, and South Graham elementary schools; Southern, Turrentine, and Woodlawn middle schools; Southern High School; and Ray Street Academy.
Those seven schools where toxic mold has been found (Eastlawn and Haw River elementary schools, Broadview and Woodlawn middle schools, and Cummings, Eastern, and Graham high schools), plus Williams, which had high levels of non-toxic mold, will have comprehensive HVAC cleaning as a result of the decisions reached during a joint meeting between the school board and county commissioners on Friday afternoon – the third joint meeting of the week.
County commissioner Craig Turner made all three motions, each of which passed unanimously, 5-0, among his fellow commissioners – as he had earlier this week during the Monday and Wednesday joint meetings.
School officials were still optimistic that school would start on time for all students on Tuesday (September 5) after Labor Day.
However, chief operating officer Greg Hook, who was the primary spokesman for the school system in the absence of superintendent Dain Butler, acknowledged that if necessary, the school system would devise “A” and “B” days, allowing students from schools undergoing unfinished mold remediation to attend classes at locations where the cleanup has been completed.
Read our earlier coverage from August 31 edition: https://alamancenews.com/updates-on-mold-in-abss-schools-from-aug-31-edition-of-the-alamance-news/
More local news than is available anywhere else. Subscribe now so you won’t miss a single story. You’ll need to subscribe to have unlimited access to these and all other local news stories.
