THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 2, 1995 TAG: 9508020493
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER CHRISTMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SOUTHERN SHORES LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
The Southern Shores Town Council voted Tuesday to spend up to $10,000 to cure its ``sick'' police station.
``There is no question about it,'' said Councilman Gerald Beshens. ``We've got serious mold conditions, we've got contamination and we've got to take corrective action on it.''
The money will go toward removing and replacing the building's underpinning, duct work and filter system - the supposed root of allergy-like symptoms such as nausea, headaches, eye irritation and congestion that have plagued police officers for years. The work is expected to be completed in two weeks.
An investigation of the police station last week by Grady Lassiter, president of Professional Home Inspection Services in Kitty Hawk, revealed leaky construction and duct system contamination in the 1940s structure that was once a home on the beach.
``The underpinning has mold growth,'' Beshens said. ``There was a pipe leak, which was causing decay and also a condition where fungus was thriving. The building does not have a tight seal.
``It's not that it leaks water, but rather it leaks air. By doing this we not only allow the cold air to escape, but we allow the warm, humid air to come in.''
Lassiter also discovered a large hole and black mold with white spores in the duct work - findings he called ``serious.''
``Once you see the small white growths, you're really starting to get into something heavy,'' Lassiter said in an interview. ``This situation was not insignificant, this stuff can really make people very sick.''
During two emergency council meetings in July, Southern Shores Police Chief Danny Beasley detailed health problems he and other police officers suffered from working in the station. No officers were hospitalized, but they were uncomfortable. Beasley sought the attention of his allergist for persisting symptoms.
``I can be gone for a weekend, and it will clear up by Monday, but by Wednesday I just have to leave the office,'' Beasley told the council July 7.
Beasley said he and fellow officers began feeling sick in 1992. Some duct work was done, and the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system were replaced in the spring of 1994, improving conditions slightly. But the symptoms returned last winter.
Although the council voted July 11 to move the police from their headquarters by the end of July, officers will remain in the station while the fixtures are replaced during the next two weeks.
``The police department and Mr. Lassiter agreed it is not necessary to move the police while this work is being done,'' said Mayor Kern Pitts. ``We shut off the central air conditioning system and they're suffering with window units. It's cleared the situation.'
Beasley agreed: ``We have clean air now.''
While the council voted to fix the immediate problems, members voted to hold off on addressing other costly conditions Lassiter's examination uncovered.
For instance, Lassiter pointed out potential fire hazards. The station only has one exit and has large amounts of electrical wiring underneath the building that are not contained in conduit or rated for exterior use.
Lassiter also recommended carpet removal and flooring replacement.
The council will meet again Aug. 17 at 9 a.m. to discuss the long-term future of the police station - whether to fix and use the current headquarters or build a new one.
``I have no idea, but my guess is that all these improvements are going to cost several thousand dollars,'' Beshens said. ``I'm reluctant to spend that money for just a short period of time if we are just going to end up building a new station.
``We really need to start thinking about the long-term future, and we don't have a long time to do that.'' by CNB