GREENFIELD — Work to remove mold growing inside the Greenfield Police Department’s basement is expected to wrap up this week, the police chief said.
PuroClean, a Greenfield restoration company, started removing mold spores in the department’s basement last Wednesday, Chief Jeff Rasche told the Greenfield Board of Public Works and Safety on Tuesday. Most of the mold was found in the basement’s gym area, Rasche said.
Crews have been ripping up carpet squares and decontaminating surfaces, including cement floors, fitness equipment, rafters and lights, Rasche said. Only a small portion of the basement’s wall had mold growing on it, he said, so PuroClean workers replaced the section with new drywall. Rasche said he anticipates the company will finish the cleanup process later in the week.
The repair was initially estimated to cost the city’s former insurance company $14,000, Rasche said, and the city had to pay a $5,000 deductible. But following insurance negotiations, he said the price dropped to about $12,000, and the city didn’t have to pay the deductible. The city also received a $900 check from its new insurance carrier, Travelers Insurance, to replace the loss of wrestling mats in the basement.
The mold found growing in the department’s basement was the result of years of flooding and water damage, Rasche said. Over the past two years, the police department has spent about $20,000 to replace several sump pumps, pipes and a basement door that had been heavily damaged by rust.
Rasche expects those fixes will prevent future flooding issues in the department’s basement, which consists of a gym area and offices for seven detectives and an administrative assistant. Any extra storage that was previously in the basement will now be moved to a unit in the police department parking lot, he said.
The board of works also approved the police department’s purchase of four automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, for $5,300. Rasche said Keihin, NineStar, Firehouse Subs and Walmart donated the funding. With the four new AEDs, each police vehicle will be equipped with the life-saving device.
