Courthouse challenges: Dangerous materials, fungi haunt old building

Courthouse challenges: Dangerous materials, fungi haunt old building Connections between the historic Stutsman County Courthouse and the new Stutsman County Courthouse may become an environmental hazard to county employees, building inspections in December and January have revealed. "We love this building. The State Historical Society still hopes to restore and lease the structure at some point, provided it can get the money. When further information about air quality and the amount of lead and asbestos is available, the Historical Society will be able to get cost quotations for fixing the problems. "The big issue in my point of view, it's going to cost so much money to do anything at all with (the old courthouse), where's the funding going to come from?" said Jim Fettig, courthouse maintenance engineer. Some of the detected mold species are also allergenic. Sampling and assessment from Badlands Environmental Consultants and a walkthrough inspection by the Jamestown Fire Department revealed that deteriorating lead paint, possibly-fraying asbestos pipe lining and seven different mold species can be found in the historic Stutsman County Courthouse. Four of the seven mold species detected with two surface swab samplings on Dec. ". The Site should also be isolated from the adjoining County building. Filling the basement of the old courthouse with sand may be less expensive than other methods of remediating the mold, lead and asbestos issues, and it is given as a possibility on the Historical Society's list of tasks. "The reason that not much has been done with the inside (is that) practically, unless you know what the use of the building is going to be, you're wasting your money," said Barb Lang, part of the 1883 Courthouse Committee, which raised funds to fix the outside of the building. Even without the hole, the wall wouldn't have been enough to prevent potential air quality problems, though, because it was not built well enough, said Casey Bradley, Stutsman County chief operating officer/auditor. "Our intent is to replace that framed wall with a concrete masonry wall this summer," Linn said. The wall between the two buildings in the basement is also not up to the task, Bradley said, but the one on the second floor is fine. "Based on our on-site observations and swab sample analysis results, the Site appears to have a mold/fungi problem, at the time of the assessment," wrote Mark Emter, president of Badlands Environmental Consultants. More environmental testing will be likely be done on the old building this summer, Linn said, focusing on the air quality, lead-based paint and asbestos. The main floor of the courthouse is in better shape than the basement, but some old wooden furniture still in the building may present a fire hazard. The old courthouse connects with the new courthouse in four ways, which will eventually pose air quality problems for the people in the new courthouse. Foremost is the wall built on the main floor between the two buildings. Courthouse challenges: Dangerous materials, fungi haunt old building Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 05/06/2012