Sanford family's health concerns are valid

June 24, 2004

Keowee Elementary may be mold-free, but the Governor’s Mansion is empty of the first family and staff until it can be certified the same.

A concrete block classroom at the Seneca school was closed last year because of a black, soot-like mold above some ceiling tiles. Mold was also found via testing to be in the floors, along the walls and underneath the building itself. But after extensive efforts on the part of the school district and the go-ahead from a certified industrial hygienist, the classroom will be ready for students when school begins again in August.

The presence of a growth in the Sanfords’ Columbia residence, the downtown building that has housed our governors for around 130 years, has made that home not so sweet. And the lady of the house is pretty ticked about what she perceives as a lack of action on the part of the property’s caretakers.

The mold was not all over the house but in several sections, including clothes closets late last summer and has returned, according to published reports. Last August, the state Budget and Control board installed what one report termed "manual controls" to reduce humidity, the main culprit behind the mold.

The board, which is responsible for maintenance on the building, "never went any further" and left the problem to Mrs. Sanford, which, she noted, "didn’t sit right with me."

A board spokesman, however, said the problem had never been abandoned. State workers never stopped looking and the board takes her concerns for health seriously.

Unfortunately, according to that same spokesman, the air conditioning system in place isn’t powerful enough. Thus the mansion cannot simultaneously be kept cool and humidity kept below 50 percent, which will inhibit the mold growth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and as reported by the Associated Press.

We do recognize the seriousness of mold and hope this situation is resolved quickly, for the health and welfare of the Sanford family and employees of the mansion — as well as state coffers.

The governor said shortly after his inauguration that operation of the governor’s mansion should rely on private and corporate donations, thus freeing up tax revenue for other purposes.

In retrospect, considering how much this cleanup and possibly a new air conditioning unit for the mansion could cost, we kinda wish we hadn’t disagreed with him on that one.

Copyright 2004, Anderson Independent Mail. All Rights Reserved.