CITY HALL TO BATTLE MOLD COUNCIL VOTES TO EXPUNGE SICKENING FUNGUS.Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - The City Council on Thursday agreed to spend $375,000 to rid City Hall of yeast yeast, name applied specifically to a certain group of microscopic fungi and to commercial products consisting of masses of dried yeast cells or of yeast mixed with a starchy material and pressed into yeast cakes. , mold, fungus fungus Any of about 200,000 species of organisms belonging to the kingdom Fungi, or Mycota, including yeasts, rusts, smuts, molds, mushrooms, and mildews. Though formerly classified as plants, they lack chlorophyll and the organized plant structures of stems, roots, and and bacteria growths that have sickened a handful of city employees. The council unanimously tapped its contingency fund to pay for the 12- week cleanup effort that will focus on the first floor and the building's heating and cooling system cooling system: see air conditioning; internal-combustion engine; refrigeration. cooling system Apparatus used to keep the temperature of a structure or device from exceeding limits imposed by needs of safety and efficiency. . ``We need to jump on this before it gets much worse,'' said Assistant City Manager Ken Pulskamp. ``It's a health and safety issue.'' The council also waived city rules requiring the city to solicit bids for the cleanup effort because of the urgent nature of the problem, a move Councilwoman Laurene Weste condemned. ``This project has an awfully high price tag to award without completing an open bid process,'' Weste said. ``And I'm extremely uncomfortable that local companies haven't been given the opportunity to compete. We need to shop local.'' The council directed Pulskamp to seek competitive bids whenever possible without delaying the process and to work with qualified local companies. The city staff is working with Santa Clarita's insurance carriers to determine whether the city will be reimbursed for at least some of the cost of the cleanup. Most insurance policies do not cover damage caused by mold; however, the city plans to file a claim for water damage, which is believed to have caused the problem, said Teri Maus, the director of field services. Earlier this week, the cleaning and sanitizing of the heating and cooling system began. That effort is expected to cost $49,500, and was authorized au·thor·ize tr.v. au·thor·ized, au·thor·iz·ing, au·thor·iz·es 1. To grant authority or power to. 2. To give permission for; sanction: by City Manager George Caravalho - who can spend up to $50,000 without the approval of the council. The contingency fund, which has been tapped nearly a dozen times this year to pay for a variety of projects ranging from the holiday parade in Canyon Country to an emergency winter shelter for the city's homeless residents, now stands at $59,690. A report completed earlier this month by Machado Environmental Corp. found that the mold was caused by water seeping seep intr.v. seeped, seep·ing, seeps 1. To pass slowly through small openings or pores; ooze. 2. To enter, depart, or become diffused gradually. n. 1. into the first floor of the building at 23920 Valencia Blvd., where the council chambers and other public meeting rooms are located, officials said. Low amounts of mold and fungus have been found on carpeted surfaces, and along with Fiberglas, are present in the heating and cooling system, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the report. The building's walls and furniture will be sanitized san·i·tize tr.v. san·i·tized, san·i·tiz·ing, san·i·tiz·es 1. To make sanitary, as by cleaning or disinfecting. 2. as part of the effort, officials said. In addition, all of the carpet on the first floor will be replaced and the concrete slab Concrete slab A shallow, reinforced-concrete structural member that is very wide compared with depth. Spanning between beams, girders, or columns, slabs are used for floors, roofs, and bridge decks. will be sanitized and sealed to prevent further water seepage. The council plans to spend $40,000 to hire a moving company to remove furniture from the first floor during the cleanup and $10,000 on landscaping around City Hall to reduce the water seepage. New drains will be installed and shrubbery will be lined with gravel designed to soak up excess moisture, Pulskamp said. ``I've been saying for years that the landscaping at City Hall has been overwatered - surely that's part of the problem,'' Weste said. |
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