After a nearly two-semester-long project to remedy mold in the Robert L. Carothers library, both remediation phases ended Feb. 13 to make the library safe for students and staff, but funding for further work might not be granted.
“I can tell you with complete confidence that the spaces are safe,” said Karl Calvo, the assistant vice president of facilities at the University of Rhode Island.
During the fall, facilities did a mold remediation project on the lowest level of the library, which contains mostly magazines and periodicals, according to Calvo. This first phase of the project was completed in November and resulted in the disposal of many of the materials because they have online accessibility.
“It was just that they weren’t needed and they could easily get them online so it didn’t make sense to spend a lot of money cleaning things that you could easily get online,” Calvo said.
The second phase of the project targeted mold on the third floor, according to Calvo. None of the materials found on the third floor were thrown away and were all able to be restored following being damaged by mold.
During this phase of the project, book cases were wrapped in plastic and a professional environmental remediation contractor, Diversified Assessments and Inspections, was hired to clean the books.
The library was built in the 1960s and in that time has received many additions causing it to have nine ventilation systems, all of which are old, according to Calvo. These systems were not designed to handle the amount of air conditioning that is used in the library.
“So what we’ve done instead was, because the systems are so old, we can’t necessarily make improvements to them anymore,” Calvo said. “We need to replace them.”
The university has requested money from the state of Rhode Island to aid the needed ventilation project in the library, according to Calvo. However, it isn’t certain that the university will receive the money it needs to make these improvements.
“So if we don’t get money from the state, the university can’t afford some of the really big projects that we need to do in the building,” Calvo said. “We need help from the state.”
In the meantime, facilities have set up additional air purifiers and dehumidification systems to manage the humidity in the library, according to Calvo. These units will help keep the humidity at a normal level so as to not promote mold growth, especially during the summer months when problems with mold are most prevalent in Rhode Island.
Facilities have also been doing smaller individual air conditioning system repairs, according to Calvo.
“We can’t do replacements because we can’t afford that, but we can do smaller scope air conditioning system repairs to keep everything running as long as possible,” Calvo said.
Right now it’s whether or not URI’s funding for this project will be approved. However, university President Marc Parlange did testify on behalf of the HVAC project to the House Fiscal Subcommittee on Higher Education on Thursday, according to Calvo.
“It’s first and foremost in his mind so he’s doing everything he can, the president, to get that money,” Calvo said.
To continue to ensure student safety in the libraries, facilities are conducting monthly tests of the air in the library to predict if there will be another problem.
“I don’t have any concerns about the safety up in those spaces,” Calvo said.
