Shared from the 3/6/2020 The Providence Journal eEdition

State House mold removal costs $13k

Picture

The clean-up of the Joint Committee on Legislative Services offices in the basement of the State House removed mold that was caused by a broken steam pipe under the floor is complete. [THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, FILE / BOB BREIDENBACH]

Cleaning up mold in the General Assembly offices that came under the scrutiny of a state police investigation earlier this year cost $13,824, the state Department of Administration said Thursday.

The State House offices of the Joint Committee on Legislative Services, which oversees Assembly operations and its $45-million budget, were evacuated in January after employees reported mold in the floor. When workers cut into the floor, they found a broken steam pipe, blamed for creating moisture and growing mold.

The workers and records in the office were moved into office space down the hall and state troopers showed up twice to peek into a dumpster and learn what was going on.

Five contractors were brought in to clean up the JCLS offices and test for toxins. The mold that was found there turned out to be not particularly dangerous.

Single Source was paid $7,881 to clean up the mold; Silva Environmental, $3,050 to test it; Coin Mechanical, $1,864 to fix the steam pipe; Dome Construction, $844 to fix the floor, and C&K Electrical, $184 to disconnect wires.

Brenna McCabe, spokeswoman for the Department of Administration and its Division of Capital Asset Management, said on Feb. 24 the work in the offices was done.

But so far no one has moved back inside.

The state [Division of Capital Asset Maintenance and Management] “is currently still making repairs to the office,” House spokesman Larry Berman wrote in an email. “When they are done, the staff will be moved back in. No timetable yet.” panderson@ providencejournal.com

(401)277-7384

On Twitter:

@PatrickAnderso_

See this article in the e-Edition Here