District to Get Refund for Cleaning Mold at School

March 19, 2005

The Tempe Union High School District will receive money to cover what it spent to have mold removed from Desert Vista High School due to the severe health risks. Due to the cost of removing mold, it is often difficult to have a public building remediated.  The district governing board, however, last week unanimously approved a settlement and release agreement with Target General Inc., now called CORE Construction Services of Arizona Inc., Sloan Valve Company, and Southwest Mechanical Inc. The district will receive more than $100,000, board member Zita Johnson said.

New buildings appear to be quite susceptible to fungal growth due to shoddy craftsmanship and hasty work practices.  The three companies built Desert Vista High School in Ahwatukee Foothills and mold was discovered in some bathrooms in the facility about 2002, board member Mary Frances Lewis said. The bathrooms were closed when the mold was discovered and an industrial hygienist found the mold had not contaminated the school, Lewis claimed. The settlement money will reimburse the district for the cost of abating the mold, Johnson said.

Author: Carolyn Willbanks