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GRAFTON, Mass. - Architects hired to study Grafton Public Library’s handicap access upgrades say the children’s reading room, located in the basement, may be infiltrated with mold.
R. Dayton Fair and Kathleen A. Bartels, principals with LLB Architects, told the Board of Selectmen Tuesday that while formal testing has not been done, the reading room did not pass the “sniff test.” Their report also included a lengthy list of repairs, beyond what is required, that they said should be addressed sooner than later.
“The amount of mold is probably considerable,” said Fair who believes the growth might be lying under the carpet.
Library staff complained to him that dampness is felt in the basement, especially after a heavy rain. Fair doesn’t believe there is pooling water but excessive moisture under the foundation.
The announcement took the board by surprise.
“This is embarrassing,” said Selectman John Carlson. After reviewing the list, Carlson added that the town needs to inspect the children's room immediately.
If mold is found, it could potentially be a health risk. According to the Occupational and Safety Administration, there are 50 to 100 common indoor mold spores that could produce mild reactions such as wheezing and eye irritation. The Centers for Disease Control's website said persons with a compromised immune system or lung disease are at risk to contract a serious infection.
The architects said immediate repairs are also needed:
- New heat and smoke detection devices;
- Defective exit signs need to be replaced;
- Emergency lighting;
- A boiler upgrade to improve air flow.
LLB’s report also included a long list of important repairs that are not part of the mandatory list, but should be addressed soon including replacing carpets, ceiling tiles, obsolete air conditioning units, repairing loose mortar, peeling paint, and water damaged plaster.
Chairman David Ross was stunned the town has spent many years ignoring maintenance issues, especially since the library has been under budget due to staffing issues for years.
“Why didn’t we reallocate $10,000 a year to maintenance?” he asked.
The board said the town has done a poor job in basic maintenance of all its properties, including the library. Selectman John Dowling said a program needs to be in place so that repairs are handled on a regular basis and not left to accumulate and worsen.
However, tackling mold issues and busted A/C units are for another day. A warrant article, to be voted by residents at the Town Meeting, will only address the items that fall under the handicap accessibility upgrades. Town Administrator Timothy P. McInerney said the proposed funding will come from the community preservation fund.
Comments (23)
That side of the library has flooded many times, hasn't it? I can remember bailing it out a few times when I worked for the town years ago.
Hello Grafton, my name is Heidi Fowler. I’m the new Reference Librarian at the Grafton Public Library and I’m currently serving as the Interim Director. The former Director, Hilding Hedberg, retired near the end of the summer. An active search is in progress to find his successor.
I wanted to take a second to thank everyone for making me feel welcome here in Grafton. I’ve really enjoyed meeting everyone at the library. If I haven’t seen you yet, I encourage you to visit. I’d love to meet you. (The library hours are on our web page: www.graftonlibrary.org).
I was at the Selectmen’s Meeting on Tuesday (September 11) to hear the preliminary findings of LLB Architects for the Library Building Committee. A question about mold was raised at the meeting.
There is the possibility that there is mold in the Children’s Room. However, we need more information before we can proceed. I have touched base with Tim McInerney, the Town Administrator about this concern. We are planning to have a professional inspect the library as soon as possible. Once we have a report back we will take appropriate action.
There is a public meeting of the Library Building Committee meeting tonight (Thursday, September 13) at 7:00 p.m. in the Finance Committee Meeting Room on the 2nd floor of the Municipal Center. Members of the Board of Trustees will be in attendance. At the meeting, LLB Architects will be formally presenting their findings to the Committee.
Oh, and just so you understand the process, Trustees are not allowed to make decisions without doing so at a publicly posted meeting, which has to be posted at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. That is why you haven’t heard from them, as you might have expected to. Until they have an official meeting it is inappropriate for them to comment.
Thanks for reading my post. I hope to see you at the library!
South Grafton elementary school has had mold for years. The roof leaks at the new middle school (old high school) and the North St. school. Rumor has it the roof at the new high school does too.
Grafton does not maintain its buildings well.
I think a lot of towns have moldy public buildings. There are very limited public funds, so fixing mold is probably not first priority.
That said, if a little preventative maintenance means we don't have to replace an entire building, then thats probably a good way to stretch those limited funds.
This is a mentality of saving money by deferring maintenence...
I've seen it in other towns... it's penny-wise and pound-foolish in my opinion.
Nelson Public Library
I am an advocate for the DPW Building and will continue to do so and while Mold should be addressed ASAP at the Library this is not the only town Building with Mold. The DPW Building has Black Mold all over the walls in areas. Just because the public does not frequent the Building does not mean this should be allowed to happen. There are Town Employees who work there every day and they have been exposed for quite some time. This is our building, I am always there to recycle, I wish other citizens would go and look there at the conditions. I am re stating that if there is mold in the Library it has to be dealt with immediately.
One step into that basement, and you can smell that it has a mold problem. When the library addition was being proposed, there was much talk about the childrens' area being too small and not even a mention of it being moldy (probably would have been a good selling point).
Perhaps the problem is not that the childrens room is small, but that we are shoving our kids in the basement in the first place. Let's shift some stuff around... maybe to another space or at least upstairs. I'm sure if we use a little common sense and creativity we can figure out a solution.
Someone mentioned Nelson... maybe temporarily (although not very central). Are there any centrally located buildings where space could be rented by the town?
It's nice to have the programs at Grafton library, but worst-case scenario, couldn't people temporarily go to Westborough, Shrewsbury, and Millbury libraries? Wouldn't exactly boost town pride, though.
I think we can figure something out (and let's do it soon!).
I don't know about library politics - seems to be a lot that goes on behind the scenes. I was FOR the library renovation / new building b/c a modern library is a joy to be in - give our kids a place to meet and work and grow - even if they are all sitting and working on their tablets, etc. Nice libraries I've been in have playspaces for kids, meeting rooms, as well as places to sit down and read or write. I think the recent suspicion of mold is an even greater reason to support renovation of the library. There is household mold in all old buildings and in this climate (and almost every basement). I hate it since I am very sensitive to air quality - but a new building can provide good air quality. I worked at a library in college for 4 years in Los Angeles - UCLA alum - and the library was a great place to study, also to get out of the elements (LA smog's not a problem here, but snow and rain are!) and I even coasted through an earthquake in one of the only safe buildings. So you never know how valuable your local library might be. Let's get it fixed!
Like someone else said - get past the "sniff" test and test the entire building for mold. It's not good for kids OR adults to be exposed to.
The former Library Director Hilding Hedburg and the Library Trustees should be brought to task regarding the total disrepair of the Library, letting this building become what it has become was total neglegance
As a former Trustee of Nelson Memorial Library, our Board made sure that even with our limited budget of 36000.00 our building and library and park grounds were maintained. Our building needed a new roof it got a new roof, a new furnace and we got a new furnace. The condition of the Nelson Memorial Library building was our responsibility as Trustees we all took it very seriously.
Now since MOLD has been discovered in the Childrens Room, which should not surprise anyone given it is located in the "basement", MOVE the childrens section to the Nelson Memorial Library, this is a no brainer it won't cost the Town money to get the building ready, the only thing the Town will have to supply is the Childrens Librarians, the Nelson Library volunteers have kept this library open and operating for going on 4 years now.
Why not use what we have until it is decided what to do about the Center Library building.
I won't be surprised at what will be uncovered as they further investigate the conditions of the Center Library, what was the maintenance monies that was budgeted for the Library used for?
This sounds like a great time to relocate the children's section to the Nelson Memorial Library.
Step 1: Immediately get the library inspected for mold, inclusive of the books on the shelves.
Step 2: Have the library building committee develop an action plan.
Step 3: Present remedial action plan with an appropriation at October's town meeting.
Step 4: Implement plan, or worst case scenario, relocate children's room to the Nelson Park Library.
Ok. Another problem that I am called upon to solve. Geez...this is a busy season. So, here goes:
1) Knock down the old building and put up some soccer fields
(we always need more soccer fields);
2) Both the Muni Center and the new high school were designed for another floor. So, just pick a building and build a new library on top of one of those buildings.
There you go...problem solved.
Looks like the library problem is working itself out.. no one is going to go, we can shut it down, without penalty from the state, and might even qualify for MORE state grants. Sincerely, Thomas Paine
"'Why didn’t we reallocate $10,000 a year to maintenance?' he asked."
The Town needs a long-term capital improvement plan that prioritizes risk and the projects with most need, rather than lurching from crisis to crisis.
What I got out of the article was that the library had room in the budget to allocate some funds to look at this problem, and didn't. Maybe it's because they were waiting for a new library to be built, I don't know. But there are (were?) people tasked (and paid) with running the library - I would think the effort would start there. Or maybe it did, and it's just not in the article.
"Maybe it's because they were waiting for a new library to be built, I don't know."
Exactly my point. Without a prioritized list of capital improvement projects with considerations of funding sources, how would you ever be able to determine, on a year to year basis, whether you should spend money to fix something old and decaying, or leave it because it will soon be replaced.
We need data-driven performance management like the CitiStat model being used in cities like Somerville and Newton.
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/open-government/report/2007/04/23/2911/the-citistat-model-how-data-driven-government-can-increase-efficiency-and-effectiveness/
I agree 100%. We can't just assume that we don't have to keep track of maintence schedules just because we think a new library is going to pass.
If there actually is mold in the Children's Room, I completely agree that we need to address this immediately! I encourage residents to look into the effects of black mold, which can cause allergies, asthma, and other serious respiratory conditions. I have a good friend who's one-year-old nearly died due to exposure to black mold in her home (and the pnemonia she contracted as a result). This is serious--more important than handicap accessibility and political agendas--and it needs to be addressed at town meeting!
Elizabeth
mold is not something to mess around with. You never know....If by chance it is Black Mold "TOXIC" (Stachybotrys) this needs to addressed YESTERDAY. My children will no longer be at the library...sad to say
As the parent of an Asthmatic who also has a rare condition to environmental allergies I am shocked and saddened by this news. I suspected there was an issue based on my child symptoms while at the library previously. Unfortunatly knowing that there's a mold problem I will no longer be able to bring my child to the library. It is unconciable that the town has been and will continue to ignore this massive health issue. Way to go Grafton!
Given previous reporting on the age of the building and other needed repairs, this is not surprising but it is extremely disappointing. What does it say about our town that a civic space dedicated to children and learning is rife with mold that could harm the children who use it? As a mom of an asthmatic son, I would be nuts to bring my kid in there. Based on all the back and forth in this town about the library and all the snark and vitriol that has gone along with it, I guess you reap what you sow. No decent, accessible library for kids in any building, old or new, is what we are left with.
You're kidding me. You will not address the mold issue NOW? You can smell the mold in the childrens room when you walk in the door. It is a health risk to any and all. Please reconsider and allocate funds to address this issue immediately.