East High School Reopens After Pickering Defeats Mold
Issue: Mold and spores at 50-year-old East High School, Memphis, TN. raised public health concerns among some parents and community leaders. Pickering was called in to investigate and solve the problem during the 15-day break for Christmas vacation.
Approach: Pickering began the investigation process by meeting with Memphis City Schools and East High School officials to determine needs and expectations. The assembly of scientific data in a very time-critical manner became a major component of this investigation because the media and public took an "active" role in monitoring, reporting, and commenting on the process. The initial assessment found about 48 acres of the school needed some form of cleaning/remediation to address amplified fungal/mold spore counts. Phase II of the project involved contractor selection, remediation oversight, and clearance testing of affected areas.
Tasks: On this assignment, our activities included:
- Establishing an on-site office to monitor work through completion
- Sampling 15,000 textbooks, as well as visual inspection of building interiors and HVAC system
- Assisting in contractor prequalification, pre-bid inspection and final analysis of proposals
- Monitoring two contractors who demolished East High's auditorium interior finishes, including its HVAC system, to allow for a "top to bottom" cleaning of all surfaces
- Monitoring the cleanup of 200,000 SF of school classrooms, kitchen, and tunnel spaces
- Sampling post remediation
Project Costs: Remediation $500,000, Estimated cost for replacement of finishes $1.5 million.
Project Timeline: January 2003
Result: The project was completed successfully within given timeframe so students and teachers could resume classes wit minimal impact.