Feb. 09--Damage created by mold and a burst pipe has left the city of Spring Hill seeking repairs to two fire stations.
Bids were due Thursday for repairs to the ceilings of Fire Station No. 1 at 440 Beechcroft Road and Fire Station No. 3 at 4000 Campbell Station Parkway.
Acting Fire Chief Brian Garza said the winter weather has brought unique problems to his department.
"It's been interesting for some time around here, especially at Station No. 3," he said. "We had a company come in and take out mold, which meant we had to leave the station."
Garza said the department operated out of a camper behind the station while crews worked to rid the facility of mold.
The city began the removal of mold from both the Campbell Station fire station and Fire Station No. 2 on Port Royal Road in October 2013.
City Administrator Victor Lay said the mold is now gone, but the ceiling still needs repairs.
"The damage was extensive," Lay said. "Taking care of the drywall, ceiling and other areas was not part of the mold abatement."
Garza said holes have been left behind from the mold abatement that need to be patched up with moisture-proof drywall so the issues do not recur.
Meanwhile, Lay said a pipe burst at the Beechcroft Road station. Garza said the burst pipe flooded one of the bays and there was water damage to ceilings, drywall and ceiling joints throughout the department.
"Most of the ceiling had to be torn out," Garza said. "It's been a really crazy winter with all of this happening."
Lay said the city decided to repair both stations at once.
"We decided to...just bid them out together," Lay said.
Lay said firefighters will be able to work around the repairs being made at both stations, so citizens should see no delay in service.
Garza said it will be a relief for things to get back to normal at both stations.
"We are pretty resilient and have put this out of sight until they come and fix it," he said.
The city has reported other mold issues at fire department facilities in the past. In May 2013, firefighters had to temporarily relocate to the Campbell Station Fire Department after black mold was found at the fire station on Beechcroft Road. The mold, which was attributed to plumbing leaks inside the walls, required cleaning of walls, carpet, sheet rock, baseboard, duct work and an HVAC unit. Trace amounts of mold were also found at the Port Royal Road fire station in 2012.
Copyright 2014 - The Daily Herald, Columbia, Tenn.
