Mold at OCHS closes auditorium and conference room to students

Written by Cindy Nevitt Wednesday, September 05, 2012 04:32 pm

A “sheen” on the walls of the auditorium at Ocean City High School, presumed to be mold, has closed that area to students, along with a conference room next to the principal’s office.

OCEAN CITY — The day before the start of the 2012-2013 school year, mold discovered on the walls of the Bill and Nancy Hughes Performing Arts Center and on furniture in a conference room at Ocean City High School has forced the closing of those areas to students.

Tom Grossi, business administrator for the Ocean City Board of Education, said Wednesday, Sept. 5 that the school custodial staff was cleaning the auditorium, as well as the conference room, while awaiting the arrival of an environmental consulting firm.

“Both areas have been closed off as a preventive measure,” Grossi said.

He identifed the auditorium, which is being affected for a second time – the first time was in fall 2009 – since the school opened in fall 2004 with a mold issue, and a conference room near the principal’s office as the sites where what he called a “sheen” was first noted on Tuesday, Sept. 4.

Grossi speculated the high humidity of the past few days and the frequent opening and closing of doors leading to the outside as a possible cause of the moisture.

Coastal Environment, which was employed by the school district during the summer 2010 construction project at Ocean City Intermediate School, has been contacted to assess the extent of the problem.

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