Nearly all sheet rock panels at new $26.2 million police station
ordered replaced due to extensive mold and water damage
Gilroy – Industrial hygienists have ordered nearly 100 percent of the exterior sheet rock panels of the new C.J. Laizure Police Station be replaced after discovering mold and water damage was discovered last week. The replacement process should not further delay construction, but will ensure that all of the panels are mold free, city officials said.
“That we’re not going to accept one spore of mold is our policy,” said City Administrator Jay Baksa. “The contractor is taking a responsible stance to solve that problem.”
City officials blame the problem on an unfinished rooftop, heavy rainfall this winter and sheet rock that lay unprotected during Christmas break, which combined to cause moldy conditions at the 48,900-square-foot, $26.2 million facility. They argue Amoroso Construction did not fully protect its work from the rain even though it is required in the contract.
When mold was discovered in early January, city officials contacted industrial hygienists and environmental engineers to ensure that the site is safe for employees.
“That’s why we have industrial hygienists at the site. So that when in doubt, it’s coming out,” said Bill Headley, the city’s facilities and parks manager. “We have several layers of eyes on this.”
The discovery pushed back the completion date two months to November while mold tests were conducted and repairs ordered.
A report from the engineering firm Innovative Technical Solutions, Inc., which performed three mold tests in March, recommended that any wallboard impacted by mold be replaced and remediation performed on plastered walls that did not exhibit mold growth.
That order has been increased to all panels on all four walls, said Assistant Police Chief Lanny Brown, co-construction manager for the project.
The north wall was hit the hardest and immediately replaced entirely. Initially it appeared just portions of the other three walls were affected.
“But they got in there and found that the integrity of the sheet rock didn’t hold its rigidity. There’s areas that you really don’t know (are moldy) until you’re out there doing the work,” Brown said. “It got to the point where so much was torn off that it made sense to take it all off. If it’s been compromised by the water, it’s got to go.”
The sheet rock is being replaced with a more waterproof material.
According to Brown, replacing the panels will probably take another two to three weeks. But the process has not halted construction inside the building. A crew of about 17 workers are replacing the panels while plastic sheets have been placed on the inside to allow others to continue working, he said.
After all damaged panels are replaced, areas where there are no organic compounds for mold to feed on will be wiped down with disinfectant solutions.
City officials say they will not foot the bill for the removal because the situation could have been avoided if contractor SJ Amoroso Construction had protected its work from the rain.
“It’s a work protection issue,” Headley said.
A $100,000 mistake installing the roof was discovered in late October. Construction was delayed by a month after inspectors said a quarter of the roof needed to be fixed because it was incorrectly installed.
According to Headley, leaks around the perimeter from the unfinished portions of the roof and failure to properly seal the walls before construction workers left for Christmas break, caused a perfect environment for mold to grow once winter storms struck.
The city has set a hard line with the clean up and does not believe it should incur the cost, Brown said. The cost for repairing the water damaged panels is currently unknown.
“At this point, we’re not paying for it because our position is protect your work. We’re not asking for a bill,” Brown said.
Amoroso officials could argue that a portion of the cost be split. However, at this point, they have cooperated with the city’s requests.
Amoroso officials have declined to comment on the issue.
