Breck employees vacate homes due
to mold
By Jane Stebbins
jstebbins@summitdaily.com
Summit Daily News,
www.summitdaily.com
October 25, 2003
BRECKENRIDGE
- At least 20 Breckenridge Ski Resort employees have agreed to vacate
their units at Breckenridge Terrace after managers there found mold in six
of the 17 buildings.
Employees examining the other buildings have found
what they believe is mold in about 40 percent of the remaining buildings.
Restoration experts are conducting further tests to determine the extent
of the mold growth.
"We don't think there is a serious health risk in
Breckenridge Terrace," said industrial hygienist Joan Wickersheim, who
Vail Resorts hired to locate the mold. "Mold as a health hazard is a bit
overblown. It's everywhere. It's on your clothes, on your furniture, on
building materials. Each person has a different sensitivity to it."
No one has complained about health problems that might
be related to the mold, said Rick Smith, vice president of human resources
for the ski company.
Company officials have offered Breckenridge Terrace
renters alternative housing for the next 30 days at the Village at
Breckenridge and Breckenridge Mountain Lodge. The company also is offering
a meal plan because people cannot cook at their temporary quarters.
Inspectors hope to locate the mold, determine what's
causing it and figure out a way to fix the problem.
"There aren't a lot of regulations published on mold,"
Wickersheim said. "The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the New
York City Department of Health say if there is visible mold, you need to
take care of it."
Mold is typically associated with wet, dank places,
but it can just as easily present problems in arid places like
Colorado,
Wickersheim said. Here, it is often the result of condensation, which
appears when there is a wide temperature variance between the outdoors and
indoors.
Additionally, in the name of energy conservation,
developers are building tighter structures that don't always allow for the
best ventilation. Mold problems can develop when there are numerous people
living in a unit, taking showers and running the dishwasher.
Mold needs moisture, the proper temperature and
humidity, a lack of sunlight and a food source to grow. It feeds on
anything organic, including lumber and paper.
It doesn't usually present a problem when it is
flourishing in wet conditions, Wickersheim said.
"But take away one of those things it needs, and it
tries to preserve itself by drying back," she said. "It creates spore
bodies, and some molds can shoot them out. Those spores sit and wait for
the right environmental conditions and it starts all over again."
It's those dry spores that cause people problems,
including itchy eyes and sneezing.
Mold often grows behind cabinets and vanities, in
walls and near baseboards, appliances and pipes. Inspectors must locate
the pockets of growth so that when they fix the problem - be it by
replacing carpet or drywall, insulating pipes, installing fans or sealing
attics - the dry mold spores won't spread.
Ski area officials don't yet know the extent of the
problem, nor do they know how long it will take to rectify the situation.
They also don't know how much fixing it will cost - nor if their insurance
company will pay for it. Summit Housing Authority owns half the
corporation that owns the building.
They would like to fix it quickly, as seasonal
employees will begin arriving in mid-November. If the problems aren't
fixed by the end of 30 days, resort officials hope to secure master leases
at other locations for their employees.
"It's so early on, we don't have all the answers at
this point," Smith said. "We're still trying to figure it out."
Other mold problems have been found in the past few
years at units at
Pinewood
Village, the Wellington Neighborhood and Gibson Heights.
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