Mold Remediation Underway at Fairfield Woods Branch Library

Mold remediation is underway at the Fairfield Woods Branch Library and the building will remain shuttered for the remainder of the week.

The mold issue at the library first arose in December 2012, as the roof was being replaced, when library staff raised concerns regarding indoor air quality in the building, especially in the lower basement level.

The industrial hygiene firm Hygenix was hired in July 2013 to assist in the assessment of the building.  Their report did find levels of mold in the air and on one sheetrock surface in an unfinished non-public portion of the basement, but the building’s air, including the basement, fell within the “clean” building category, according to First Selectman Mike Tetreau. 

ServPro of Bridgeport was hired to remove the materials identified in the basement, but earlier this month notified the town that during the removal additional more significant mold growth was seen on the interior surfaces of the sheetrock walls and structural elements within the walls.  

This finding changed the scope of the work that needed to occur and Hygenix was again hired to serve as a project manager. AAIS, an environmental remediation firm, was hired to perform the abatement once the plan was developed and approved. 

Hygenix developed a mold remediation plan and the remediation will be performed by AAIS throughout this week.  The entire facility will be closed during the remediation and the plan includes monitoring of the project and final clearance air testing to ensure all areas have acceptable air quality prior to the building being reoccupied, according to Tetreau.

The entire building will be closed to the public during this time, it is anticipated the library will re-open on Nov. 23.

While the full extent of the cost is unknown at this point it is expected that all costs will be covered by the current Public Works Department operating budget, said Tetreau.