By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Fort Hays State University has found more mold in its residence halls and plans a 60-day process to clean the affected areas.
Students reported issues inside the McMindes Hall and Victor E. Village beginning this summer. Since then, 67 work orders have been submitted concerning the issue, said David Bollig, assistant vice president for Student Affairs Health and Wellness and Auxiliaries.
About 1,300 FHSU students live on campus.
SEE RELATED STORY: FHSU responds to reports of mold in dorms
On Sept. 13, iSi Environmental conducted inspections in 20 rooms within Victor E. Village and McMindes Hall, as well as a common area in McMindes Hall and two adjacent outdoor spaces.
"While on site, the iSi industrial hygienist recommended that we clean several vents and spaces, and our maintenance and custodial staff quickly completed that work," a statement released by the university said.
A final inspection from iSi Environmental on Oct. 24 reported low to moderate levels of two common potential allergen mold types.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, FHSU officials said iSi returned to campus and found more mold.
A team of industrial hygienists from Wichita-based iSi Environmental returned to the FHSU campus on Monday to conduct a follow-up inspection of McMindes Hall and Victor E. Village, two campus residence halls that have been the subject of student concerns regarding the possible presence of mold, the statement said.
iSi conducted a more extensive inspection of a random selection of student rooms and inspections of rooms that were either identified explicitly by students or identified in iSi’s first inspection.
iSi identified possible mold in the interior insulation of two through-the-wall heating and cooling units in McMindes Hall. Surface samples of suspected mold were sent overnight to a testing laboratory, and late Thursday afternoon, iSi confirmed the presence of two forms of allergen-producing mold in those samples.
Scott Cason, FHSU chief communications, said the mold that was found was not black mold, which can cause serious problems for people who are immune compromised.
In response to learning this new information, and based upon the recommendation of our iSi partners, the university has secured the services of Restore and Clean, a bonded, insured, and Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certified commercial and residential cleaning and restoration company, the statement said.
As a precautionary measure, beginning Monday, Restore and Clean teams will open every through-the-wall heating and air conditioning unit in McMindes Hall, replace the unit’s interior insulation, and complete a thorough vacuuming and deep cleaning of each unit, whether or not there is visible mold in the unit. They will also clean surface areas and overhead pipes in every room. Each room will be prepped to ensure the containment of airborne particulate, and disposable materials used in the remediation will be carefully bagged and removed, the statement said.
Once this remediation work is complete in McMindes Hall, the Restore and Clean team will move on to Victor E. Village. FHSU expects this process to take about 60 days from start to finish, the statement said.
This work will commence as soon as a schedule is finalized, and students will be informed 24-48 hours in advance of when the Restore and Clean team will be on their floor to complete their work. FHSU estimates that students will be asked to stay out of their rooms for approximately four hours to permit the remediation teams to complete their work and remove any lingering chemical odors, the statement said.
Based upon testing and data received from iSi to date, and Restore and Clean’s assessment of that information and development of a comprehensive remediation effort, FHSU has determined that it is not necessary for all students to immediately vacate the residence halls.
Cason said the FHSU's contractor is unsure what the source of the model might have been. However, it is a common type of mold found in nature and spores could have been tracked in.
Cason said the university will contract with Restore and Clean for regular follow-up inspections every three months.
"I'm confident this approach will address all allergens, not just those that are mold related," Casons said.
He said he did not know at this time how much the cleaning process will cost.
Any students with immediate concerns about their residence hall space are encouraged to submit a work order online at https://www.fhsu.edu/reslife/Forms/, and any student with a particular health concern may reach out to Residential Life at 785-628-4245.
Bollig said students who have further medical concerns and need accommodations during the cleaning process should contact Will Burns, FHSU accessibility services adviser, at 785-628-4401.