Mold creeps inside the basement of the SAC

     A plastic barrier with caution tape covers the entrance to the basement of the Student Activities Center to keep patrons of the building from being exposed to mold caused by recent flooding.
     “I am fanatical about protecting my students and my staff,” said Tom Miles, the director of Campus Life and Student Activities. “We are taking every precaution.”
     The basement level of the SAC is usually used as recreation space for students and campus organizations. However, it has yet to be opened for general use this semester due to runoff water pouring in from the sidewalk through a side entrance in the building. Heavy rains and clogged storm drains are to blame for the runoff water that unexpectedly plagued the historic building, built in 1806.
     Flooding inside the building occurred the first time just before classes started around the time of the Week of Welcome, and then a second time while cleanup efforts were in effect for the previous incident. It was then that storm drains were found to be clogged and were immediately cleared out.
According to John Webb, the facilities planner and ADA compliance officer for Facilities of the Plant Operations department of GCSU, the level of flooding did not exceed more than about a half an inch, but was enough to saturate the bottom portion of sheetrock in the walls. Once the bottom of the sheetrock had been soaked, the moisture seeped upwards. Mold began to grow in the areas of the wall that had been completely saturated, and was later found mainly in the men’s and women’s restrooms by a custodian.
     The health risk of the mold was quickly assessed by the Health Department, and soon thereafter a company called Merritt was contracted to clean the mess and restore the damaged areas. The contractors measure a safe distance above and beside the damaged areas and remove those portions of sheetrock and replace them with fresh new slabs. The damaged parts are then cleaned, dried thoroughly and disposed of safely. The repairs and restoration are expected to last at least another two weeks.
     “Its E.T. style,” said Natalee Mayo, a senior mass communication major, about the plastic barriers covering the doorways.
     All the plastic and caution signs are just a precaution to protect anyone passing by who may be extremely sensitive to mold. The rest of the building is considered safe, and there should be no health concerns.
     Once the lower level is returned to its safe, clean and dry state, it will soon be opened for student recreation including pool tables, foosball tables, TVs, soda fountains and other entertainment activities.
     The GCSU campus has since seen more heavy rains, but the problem areas have been addressed and no more flooding has occurred.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 6 2007. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry