Remediation work at Sicamous’ elementary school is near completion after air testing turned up mould spores in parts of the building.
Operations at Parkview Elementary were halted in late September 2019 after a musty odour was noticed on and off for weeks following a heavy rainstorm. Students returned to the School on Nov. 13.
Air quality monitoring was conducted at the school beginning on Sept. 19. According to a report presented to the School District #83 board of trustees at their Jan. 21, 2020, meeting, initial monitoring turned up elevated levels of airborne mould spores in the crawlspace beneath the school.
Further monitoring on Oct. 2 turned up visible surface mould on a sump tank pump in the school’s west wing, as well as elevated non-living mould spores in the air in an east-wing supply closet.
Work including cleaning, ventilation improvements and repairs to water penetration points was completed at the school and, by mid October, Interior Health had declared the school safe to return to.
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After students and staff were given the green light to return, Superintendent Peter Jory described the problem as transitory in nature and said any threats to health had been resolved
After students and staff returned to the school, one final round of air monitoring was undertaken by the school district’s contractor the on Nov. 15. Jory said the only rooms in the school where spore concentrations exceeded the outdoor air were a storage room and the school’s office.
Jory said the storage room and the vents in the office were cleaned in response to the Nov. 15 tests and no further air quality issues are anticipated
The only remaining work to be done at the school involved placing a layer of concrete on the dirt-floored crawlspace beneath the school.
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