Robbinsville – Cladosporium and penicillium are present at Town Hall.
Midway through an eventful Robbinsville Board of Alderman meeting on June 3, Mayor Steve Hooper detailed the steps being taken to curb the issue, which was confirmed after ProLab – a laboratory testing services based in Weston, Fla. – collected samples May 12.
Hooper told the board that all of the poison oak and kudzu has been
removed from around and on top of the structure. Pressure-washing, gutter cleaning and the lowering of a pre-existing chimney is next before work begins indoors.
Plastic wrap adorns the back walls and restroom of Town Hall in an effort to prevent further exposure by employees or customers.
Four dehumidifiers also run daily at the office, which reopened to the public Monday.
“We’re going to have to get a cost to fix all this, because if we don’t, we’ll be without a building,” Alderman Brian Johnson said. “The mold is going to overtake us.”
Bids for repairs will be going out soon and three air purifiers will also be purchased.
Tallulah plant
Originally taken offline because of a contamination issue, the town is finally moving forward on upgrading the Tallulah Water Plant.
As explained during the meeting, the plant was built in the 1970s, when for a time it was the only water treatment plant in Robbinsville. The plant is set to undergo what is being dubbed by officials an “upgrade and modernization.”
Obsolete equipment, antiquated filtering systems and concrete repairs are just some of the issues that need to be addressed before the plant is brought back online.
The board unanimously approved $2,000 to help with the cost of applying for grants to help fund the plant upgrades, which includes testing and readings.
Other news and notes
The board also made the following decisions in the meeting:
* The unanimous approval of the 2020-21 town budget
* The sale of two vehicles, including a Chevy Traverse for $2,800 to Darren Stewart and a dump truck for $4,252 to Chuck Stewart. Both were awarded via a bidding process, while a 1996 F250 work truck bid was refused.
* Unless an extension of Gov. Roy Cooper’s Executive Order No. 124 – signed March 31, which prevents shutoffs for non-payment of utilities – occurs, the town will give water and sewer customers that were on the cusp of being disconnected prior to the order one week after the July 31 expiration date to pay their bills.
Payment arrangements will be made with other customers.