Boardman water problems fixed in fire station

By Kalea Hall

khall@vindy.com

boardman

The township took some preventive measures to keep water from coming into the basement of the main fire station on U.S. Route 224.

Ohio State Waterproofing of Macedonia broke up concrete, drained the water still in the basement and put in new drainage piping in an effort to prevent mold from growing. The cost was approximately $17,700.

Other measures including the addition of an air scrubber and a dehumidifier are expected to help keep the area dry.

The crew came in Monday and finished the project Wednesday.

“That was the first time that we attempted to try and divert the water to reduce the amount of mold,” said George Brown, fire chief.

In March, more than 17,000 particles per million of penicillium mold were removed from the station at the cost of almost $20,000 after an air test of the station proved it was a safety hazard.

Upon the conclusion of the mold removal by ServiceMaster by Lewis Construction of Warren, the township was told the mold would come back if the water came back.

“The trustees and the administrator knew that they needed to do something else or they would spend more money on mold removal,” Brown said.

All of the water is being directed to a sump pump, and it gets pushed out, which is “desperately needed,” township Administrator Jason Loree said.

“We wouldn’t want to do [mold elimination] again,” Loree said.

MS Consultants is working on the plans for a new station that the township is hoping to build. The projected cost is anywhere from $1.5 million to $2 million depending on the design of the new station.

A funding source for the new station still is being sought by the township.