Ductwork cleaning to begin

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Posted on Fri, Feb. 09, 2007

Ductwork cleaning to begin

<span class=postbold>Mold that caused illness at Police Headquarters will be removed soon.</span>

By CHRISTINE VENDEL
The Kansas City Star

Cleaning and repairing mold-contaminated ductwork at Kansas City Police Headquarters should cost about $65,000 and could begin as early as next week, city officials said.

Higher-than-normal mold levels have sickened some workers for more than a year. Eight out of 12 employees in the sixth-floor fugitive unit have sought medical attention for unexplainable sinus problems.

The city’s facilities manager, Robert Rives, said through a spokesman this week that he had accepted a contractor’s proposal to clean ductwork and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems that serve five floors of Police Headquarters.

The contractor plans to work after hours so employees won’t be displaced, officials said.

Sixth-floor employees have wanted the ductwork cleaned since May 2005. They contend that City Hall ignored the problem for 17 months. The city owns the 69-year-old building.

Employees who feared permanent health problems pooled their money for a lab test of black specks falling from the air vents in May 2005. Three subsequent tests confirmed higher-than-normal mold levels, and contractors recommended the ductwork be cleaned.

The city facilities manager at the time, Bob Lawler, said he didn’t act because he thought the issue lacked urgency. Lawler left the post last August. His successor, Rives, didn’t know about the issue until a Star reporter called last month. Rives pledged to investigate.

Rives also plans to fix mold problems at a police facility that houses the department’s juvenile unit and property and evidence room.

A juvenile unit bathroom sustained water damage that spurred mold growth behind the walls and baseboards.

City officials said it could cost between $2,500 and $4,000 to remove moldy drywall and other contaminated materials. That estimate doesn’t include replacement costs.

A problem in an evidence storage room in the same building is more perplexing.

Mold has been growing inside paper bags containing seized marijuana. The plants must be kept in breathable paper lawn bags so the marijuana doesn’t turn to mush before it is needed in court. But moisture from the plants is proving to be a hospitable environment for mold.

When workers move or transport the bags for court dates or monthly inventory, mold spores escape and contaminate the air.

An employee who works in the evidence room has suffered sinus problems, said her boss, Sgt. Randy Francis.

City officials are testing an air purification system to see whether that can solve the problem, Francis said.



<center><small>To reach Christine Vendel, call (816) 234-4438 or send e-mail to cvendel@kcstar.com.</small></center>