Plans to fix problems in the 1950s kindergarten wing at Hildreth Elementary School all include demolishing the wing because of mold issues that were discovered there nearly 20 years ago No one knows for sure what lurks inside the walls and under the floors, and no testing has been done because of a 2005 agreement among the Board of Health, School Committee, and Board of Selectmen that there should be “no significant breach” of the floors and walls, lest mold spores escape into the air. Air quality tests conducted at least twice a year since 2005 have not shown any problems, but the inability to cut into the walls and floors means that aging plumbing and wiring cannot be repaired or replaced.
This week the Press looks at the history of mold problems in the kindergarten wing and what was done or not done to address them. The chronology that follows is gleaned from the archives of the Harvard Post and the Harvard Press.
1998
After several teachers reported congestion, sneezing, and frequent colds, then-Superintendent Mihran Keoseian requested an air-quality study.
March 1999
A report from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health noted the presence of mold spores that could cause allergic reactions, as well as moldy carpeting outside kindergarten and first-grade rooms. But no mention was made of mold in the walls. Instead, the report linked the spores to wet leaves near air vents, moldy carpeting, and potted plants. The Board of Health asked the superintendent to set a timetable for replacing the carpeting and also to get an outside consultant to test air quality.
May 1999
The outside consultant, OccuHealth, reported finding high levels of carbon dioxide, as well as mold in both carpeting and ceiling tiles. The school made ventilation improvements to address the problems.
September 2002
A walk-through state inspection revealed visible mold growing on the walls of two classrooms in the kindergarten wing, as well as mold on the dirt floor of the crawl space below the wing. Keoseian quickly had the moldy walls torn down and replaced, but he did so without consulting the Board of Health, whose members were displeased that they had not had a chance to look over the situation.
October 2002
A month later, Keoseian proposed gutting the K-wing to fix it once and for all, rather than spend an estimated $85,000 for repairs. Later that month, the Board of Health demanded a quick cleanup of the mold.
December 2002: Near the end of winter vacation, the Board of Health held an emergency meeting and ordered that all cracks and holes where air from the mold-infested crawl space could enter the occupied part of the K-wing should be sealed off within 30 days. Keoseian countered by asking that the air-quality firm OccuHealth study the K-wing, propose repairs, and oversee the work. Bill Spacciapoli, then-chairman of the Board of Health, replied, “[T]he time for study is done.”
April 2003
Nonetheless, the study took place, and OccuHealth found little or no mold in the air in HES classrooms or halls. But mold levels in K-wing wall cavities were sky-high. An OccuHealth spokesman said a spore count under 2,000 was an acceptable level for room air, while 20,000 to 50,000 was acceptable in wall cavities. But counts within the K-wing wall cavities were in the millions.
February 2004
The Board of Health sent a certified letter to Keoseian saying that a fan to ventilate the K-wing was to be installed by March 15 or the wing would be “deemed uninhabitable.” Failure to comply, the board wrote, could also result in fines of up to $500 per day. But the School Committee balked at the price tag of $50,000 to $70,000 for the proposed exhaust fan.
March 2004
At this point, according to reports in the Harvard Post, the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee got involved in the conflict, agreeing with the School Committee that the price was too high. “We don’t want to do the easy thing and cut a check for $85,000 to make the Board of Health go away,” then-Selectman Bill Marinelli was quoted as saying.
November 2004
The Harvard Teachers Association used a $4,000 grant from the state teachers association to hire an independent environmental consulting firm to review the OccuHealth data. “We have been concerned for the last four years that we had a sick building,” then-HTA president Diane Temple told the Post, “and that no one was doing enough to solve the problem.”
Acknowledging that some people might be more affected than others by the mold, Keoseian said, “I feel badly for these folks who have a condition, but in this case, the town of Harvard cannot accommodate everyone’s conditions.” Yet Keoseian again advocated taking the K-wing back to the bare walls to try to eradicate the mold, while the Board of Health still urged a “phased” approach. School enrollments were rising, and some board members said the wing would likely be replaced soon anyway.
2005 Annual Town Meeting
Voters approved $60,000 for new vinyl tile flooring to replace carpeting in the elementary school, but not in the kindergarten wing. Then-Town Administrator Paul Cohen said the Finance Committee had excluded the K-wing because its future was uncertain, and Selectman Randy Dean noted that the wing might soon be gutted or torn down.
April 2005
The Board of Health issued an Order to Correct, demanding the removal of the K-wing carpeting by July 11. The School Committee opposed that order, saying it was just a partial fix of the wing’s problems. The Board of Selectmen also opposed the Board of Health.
June 2005
The three boards continued to wrangle over the removal of the carpeting. Then-School Committee member Mark Hardy said, “[M]ajor additional remediation efforts for the K-wing are financially imprudent” because of its overall antiquated condition.
July 2005
On July 19, with the K-wing carpeting still in place despite the Order to Correct, the Board of Health issued an Order to Close the kindergarten wing. The board again ordered the carpeting to be removed.
August 2005
On August 2, the three boards signed a memorandum of agreement to ensure that the K-wing could continue in use “for a period of at least 10 years.” The agreement effectively put an end to the controversy for the next decade. (1) By October, humidity in the crawl space was to be reduced, and the space was to have an exhaust system that kept air from flowing into the building above. (2) By the end of winter vacation (January 2006), the moldy carpeting was to be removed and replaced with vinyl tile. (3) Any cracks or holes in the K-wing walls were to be completely sealed by the same date.
Under those terms, and with regular air-quality monitoring, the boards agreed that the K-wing could continue in use as long as there were no breaches in the walls or floors that might release the mold.
However, the downside of the agreement was that even minor repairs to the kindergarten wing became difficult if not impossible. Anything that might open the walls—such as plumbing or electrical work—would risk releasing mold spores from the wall cavities.
January 2006
The K-wing reopened after winter vacation with new flooring. The bathrooms had been steam-cleaned. Air filters in all equipment were scheduled for frequent replacement. And air quality was set to be tested quarterly by OccuHealth.
May 2007
The School Committee, with the approval of the selectmen, submitted a packet of materials to the state School Building Authority applying for aid to fix deficiencies in the elementary school, primarily the mold trapped in the K-wing’s walls. But no further action was taken at that time.
July 2010
School Committee Chairman Keith Cheveralls went to the Board of Health to ask if air-quality testing could be done twice a year, rather than four times. That request was later granted.
November 2012
Thinking that the 2005 agreement with the Board of Health would expire in 2016 and again force closure of the K-wing, the School Committee requested $4.3 million in capital funds to rebuild the wing completely. But the committee withdrew the request when Cheveralls explained he had misread the memorandum, which said the wing could remain in use for “at least” 10 years, not a maximum of 10 years.
October 2014
A report from Blackstone Block Architects detailed extensive structural problems in the K-wing, including water infiltration that had damaged the roof, ceilings, and wooden structural components. The report noted that dampness also worsened the mold problem. Demolishing the wing would cost $495,000; rebuilding it would come to $4.6 million, according to Blackstone’s estimates.
Finance Director Lorraine Leonard pointed out that the project would qualify for state aid, because the problems posed a safety issue. Later that month, the School Committee withdrew its request for $495,000 to demolish the wing and began to plan for the next round of applications for the state reimbursement program, which would not open until January 2015.
December 2014
In a public meeting on the condition of the K-wing, Mark Force, the school facilities manager, reported that the electrical, plumbing, and ventilation systems in the wing were at the end of their useful lives but could not be repaired without opening the walls and releasing the mold. For example, replacing a broken sink had required sealing off the whole wing with plastic while workers in hazmat suits completed the simple repair. The price tag for the job came to $6,000 or more.
January 2015
The School Committee applied to the Massachusetts School Building Authority to be approved for reimbursement on a project to rebuild the K-wing and renovate the now 30-year-old main elementary school building. The application was approved that fall.
April 2016
At Annual Town Meeting voters approved $500,000 for a feasibility and design study for the project. That study is now underway, with the School Building Committee seeking public input at recent forums, the last of which will be held Tuesday, May 9, at 5:30 p.m. in the HES library.
Spring 2018
Next spring the 2018 Annual Town Meeting will be asked to vote on financing for the renovation project, the amount of which is still uncertain. Estimates suggest that the cost to the town might be between $16 million and $30 million, taking state reimbursement into account. Depending on how the town votes, the saga of the K-wing will—or will not—come to a close.
