WHATELY — The air is noticeably heavy inside the basement of the Frontier Regional School District administration building at 219 Christian Lane, and has exasperated health problems for people who work there.
An investigation by the Massachusetts Department of Health in April found poor air quality — caused by old sections of carpet, poor ventilation and bird waste — in some sections of the building, built in 1915. A private contractor investigation hired by the school district came to the same air quality conclusions as the state investigation.
While the recent report didn’t say the air quality in the building is hazardous, it did recommend major renovations, such as tearing up old carpet and sealing up furnace piping.
“I feel responsible for the people working here,” said Martha Barrett, Frontier superintendent. “If you were here earlier in the day, you would have heard birds chirping in my chimney.”
A Frontier subcommittee met for the first time Tuesday to discuss what will be done with the building, and where the employees will go. The subcommittee said the Whately town offices, a space that has been eyed for South County EMS, would be a good place for the school administration to move into long-term.
“We shouldn’t have people working here in substandard conditions,” said Robert Decker III, a School Committee member. “You wouldn’t find a Fortune 500 company working here.”
About 15 people work in the building, and most of them have experienced symptoms of some kind, such as headaches, sore throat and irritated eyes.
Renovations made to the building over the years, such as adding air conditioning pipes, has compromised the ventilation system installed in the building when it was built. Now, the only way to ventilate the building is by opening windows.
Right now, the building’s renovation fund has $48,000, which has been set aside to replace the building’s failing furnace. But more than $50,000 would be needed to patch up the air quality concerns, $150,000 would be needed for more in-depth renovations, and about $500,000 is needed to overhaul the entire building; work that includes adding an elevator and other safety concerns, according to cost estimates.
“I would be real careful about saying this building makes people sick,” said School Committee member Philp Kantor; “But we have a report from serious people (saying the air quality is bad).”
Barrett said when the wind blows, dust and chemicals from nearby crops are blown into the building. The worst section is on the east side, where her office is, and also where fumes from a furnace in the basement might be seeping into occupied space.
The building also has other safety concerns, such as only one entrance or exit on the main floor.
Subcommittee members decided the first step in creating a safe working environment for the staff members who work in the building, is to figure out how much space they need to complete their work. Then, employees can move to other locations such as the town offices or classrooms in Frontier Regional School.
Barrett said she has searched for other viable locations to move to, but hasn’t found anything promising. The only other option to alleviate the problem is to renovate the building.
You can reach Andy Castillo at: acastillo@recorder.com
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