Boxes are scattered about Trafalgar Town Hall’s basement floor after employees sorted through files in cardboard boxes for potential mold or water damage. Submitted photo
Trafalgar’s Town Hall will be closed for a week at the end of July for mold remediation.
Several types of mold were recently discovered during an indoor air quality test of the town hall, located at 2770 State Road 252. Indianapolis-based Green Home Solutions presented their findings at the June town council meeting.
The project is scheduled for July 29 through Aug. 2, but could be sooner if a cancellation occurs, said Jason Ramey, town council president. Town officials are ready to shut down the building earlier if an opening becomes available, he said.
Only the police department and utility clerk physically work in the building. They will be working remotely or at other to-be-determined locations for that week if needed, he said.
Operations may be slowed, but they will be ongoing, Ramey said.
After the mold was discovered, Green Home Solutions immediately set up dehumidifiers to bring the moisture down. The dehumidifiers have been a huge benefit to reducing and stopping mold growth, he said.
The project is a two-part system, Ramey said. First, the mold must be mitigated, and second, preventative measures must be taken to prevent it from returning. Each phase will cost $10,000.
The building will be shut down during the project because Green Home Solutions will complete treatments that require chemical masks during the day. Ozone treatments will be completed during the nights that week.
The company will remove any visible mold and do a full cleaning of the HVAC system, including ductwork and mechanical systems. Once the removal is complete, they will install equipment and dehumidifiers on the HVAC system to prevent the mold from coming back, Ramey said.
One area of the basement has water seeping in from the outside that will require extra work such as ground excavation. It could be a matter of diverting water away from the building or digging up dirt and sealing the exterior. That seepage isn’t an ongoing issue and occurs mostly during heavy rains, Ramey said. It is not so severe that the basement floods, he said.
The dehumidifiers coupled with the cleaning will “greatly reduce” the potential for mold growth if moisture does seep into the basement, Ramey said. More research will need to be done to resolve the foundation issue, he said.
Town officials have been in talks to acquire a property for a community building, but no decision has been made. As talks move forward, the council will weigh the cost of a new building against the cost of repairs that would be needed at the town hall, he said.
“We’re trying to be as efficient as possible, fixing what we need to and going a little further, not wasting money on solving a problem that maybe the real solution is not being in this building,” Ramey said.
The biggest issue with the building is its age. The building was constructed in 1963 and acquired by the town in 2010 to be used as a town hall, according to Beacon. When it was remodeled, there probably wasn’t a lot of care or attention given to the foundation and structure of the building, Ramey said.
No employees have ever fallen ill due to the mold, Ramey said. Few employees work in the building and the mold is not alarming for healthy individuals experiencing short-term exposure. Molds can produce allergens and irritants that may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Employees have been comfortable in the building and have been sorting through files in the basement for potential mold or water damage, he said. If employees do experience illness or symptoms, they are encouraged to let Ramey know, he said.
“We were not advised by Green Home Solutions to condemn the building or shut it down until this was resolved,” Ramey said. “We’re just working under their guidance.”
As soon as he became aware of potential mold, he moved as quickly as he could to remedy the situation, he said.
“Right now we have a plan in place and that plan has already begun,” Ramey said. “So we’re just kind of going through the steps right now to get it finished.”
