EMILY'S BLOG: What's next for the city courts?
Circuit Court Judge John W. Scott Jr. ordered Fredericksburg City Council yesterday to immediately fix what he says is an unsafe courthouse.
Scott's order directed the council to move the courthouse staff to a new location until the building is repaired.
It requires the city to remove all hazardous conditions in the courthouse, and specifically mentions mold.
Mayor Tom Tomzak said he was surprised by the order. He said he felt the city had been taking the mold issue seriously. The trouble is, he said, the city has not been able to determine what is causing the problem.
"We are looking for something we can act on," said Tomzak, a physician. "The public should be aware that we have not found anything specific that can be identified as a pathogen, and if we do, we will fully disseminate that."
The court order followed a presentation Circuit Court Clerk Sharron Mitchell made to City Council last week.
Mitchell said court employees experience rashes, hives, eye infections, sinus problems and nausea while working in the courthouse.
'we can't function'
"We have employees in this court who get sick every week, and we can't function that way," Scott said.
In addition, city officials said last week that air quality tests in the courthouse showed that mold levels were higher in the jury room than in the outside air, leading them to close the jury room.
But Fredericksburg Public Facilities Director Bob Antozzi said this week that the mold levels found in the jury room remain in a safe range and that the city closed the jury room as a precaution.
"It's more of a public- relations thing," Antozzi explained. "We just want the users of the jury room not to have any questions about what's going on in there even though some people I've talked with said this doesn't mean that you should shut the jury room down."
Tests were preliminary
But Ray Petrisek, the microbiologist who did the air quality tests of Herndon, said yesterday that the tests were preliminary and that the analysis of them is not that simple.
Read more stories about Fredericksburg
Date published: 6/20/2007
Most recent reader comments:
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Sickly Courthouse
(posted by
CncrndCitzen
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
I'm surprised that the City of Fredericksburg has not been sued by the employees of the courhouse. By the way Fredericksburg Public Facilities Director Bob Antozzi, what is "a safe range" and who specifically is it designed for? Everyone will react differently to the mold issue and to state that it's in the "safe range" is irresponsible. Maybe the empoyees should sue you!
the maury school is in use. it's currently under renovation and i think move in starts this summer/fall to the new condos. maybe the city could buy The Columns that used to be Highlander Fitness. I haven't seen anyone rushing to lease it, and with some renovation it could probably suffice.
WOW
(posted by
1eviltwin
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
there is no reason why fredericksburg should be going through these issue..there are plenty of places they could build..i question why they built a new police station and didnt add a court house right next to it..i guess would have been the simple best anwser..i dont think it needs to be kept downtown.but if so how about the old building where the school once was that is not just a football field and dog park and basketball court? just an idea tear it down
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