HUBBARD Officials question use of air purifiers to fight mold

Air filtration equipment wasn't mentioned as a remedy to get rid of mold spores, a lawmaker said.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HUBBARD -- The city's safety director is using two air purifiers to remove mold spores in the police station, a practice questioned by two city councilmen.
Safety Director Robert Paterniti told lawmakers Monday that if the purifiers work, he would buy them for a total $1,600.
Paterniti said that the air cleaners will save the city the $18,000 that is needed to clean the building's first floor.
Paterniti said Patrol Officer Dennis Devine, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 132, recommended use of the purifiers based on experience.
Police department members have complained about health issues because of the mold inside the building.
Test results
Tests have shown that a variety of molds are present throughout the aged structure, and council is considering construction of a new facility funded through a levy.
Councilman John Marshall, D-2nd, questioned the use of the purifiers because the latest report calls for the building to be wet-mopped and vacuumed with special equipment.
Paterniti assured Marshall that the air cleaners will not hamper the removal of the mold spores.
Council President John Darko said if a deal sounds too good, it probably is.
Paterniti said the building will be retested in two weeks by Sylcom Safety Specialists of Youngstown to determine if the purifiers have done the job.
Use of the equipment was not mentioned as a remedy recommended by Sylcom to improve air quality within the building.
"There is more than one way to skin a cat," the safety director asserted, however.
Concerned about proposal
In another matter, Kenneth Graben, city water and waste superintendent, expressed concerns about a proposal by Consumers Ohio Water Co. for city waterline usage.
Consumers Ohio proposes to bring water into the city system from the east, have it travel through the lines, and sell it to retail customers to the south and west of the city.
During a caucus session before the regular meeting, Graben told lawmakers that water could drain out of the citywide system if there was a waterline break.
Graben said that if the amount of water leaving the system does not equal the amount entering it from Consumers Ohio, water in the 1-million-gallon tank on Christian Avenue would suddenly drop.
In the case of a waterline break, he explained, the waterline could be emptied.
Paterniti also brought up the problem of drivers speeding in the city, saying it has reached "epidemic proportions."
He explained that police will be paying special attention to West Liberty Street. One Jacobs Road resident complained that motorists are reaching 80 mph.
yovich@vindy.com