Mold

The president of the William Penn School District's teachers' union says she is not willing to let the book close on the mysterious illness that has struck teachers at the Green Avenue annex of Penn Wood High School in Lansdowne. Diane Bates, president of the teachers' union, said she had given Superintendent John M. Dirnbauer a copy of a report that says there can be long-term effects from exposure to sporobolomyces, a mold that the district's environmental testing firm found in the annex.

There was a time when real estate agents could have an opinion on just about everything involved in the sale of a house. Now, J.C. Melvin says, the smart agent - at least one who is not going to end up testifying in court - is the one who says: "I don't know. " Just pleading ignorance is not enough, though, said Melvin, a real estate trainer and facilitator from Las Vegas. "I don't know" has to be followed by: "If you have concerns, I would suggest that you hire a professional.

The time for frosty-sweet sherbets, sorbets, frozen custards, pops and ices is now. Preparing iced confections is a fun way to showcase your favorite flavors and a terrific way to use the abundance of fresh fruit during the peak summer season. It's easy to create a variety of frozen treats based on a few common ingredients, using only a mixing bowl, blender or food processor, and your home freezer. The simple procedure, called "still freezing," entails combining ingredients, pouring the mixtures into appropriate containers or molds, covering with tight-fitting lids or foil, and freezing until just set, firm, semi-frozen or frozen solid.

Bensalem High School is safe, according to school district officials who last night faced a skeptical crowd of 125 parents, teachers and students frightened by reports of mold contamination that might be causing nausea, headaches and asthmalike symptoms reported at the school. District spokesman Jack Myers presented the latest test results showing low levels of mold in the library, main office and six classrooms where mold colonies were discovered on ceiling tiles and pipes in August.

Mold, mold, go away. Such is the lament of school officials in three Montgomery County districts that have scrambled in recent days to rid schools of mold so that classes can get under way. Cedarbrook Middle School in the Cheltenham district was to open this morning for 800 seventh and eighth graders after a two-week cleanup effort that included upgrades to the entire ventilation system. The opening of the school has been delayed since last Tuesday. Most but not all of the 455 students at North Wales Elementary School in the North Penn district were to start school today and about 140 North Wales fourth and fifth graders were to be bused to temporary classrooms at Sanctuary United Methodist Church in the borough.

The Goodwill store on Route 70 closed last week after employees discovered an outbreak of mold on a ceiling tile in a donation-processing room. A patch of Stachybotrys fungus, caused by a leaky roof, forced Goodwill to shut down the 24,000-square-foot flagship store indefinitely last Tuesday and bring in an environmental-cleanup crew to remove the mold. Goodwill officials said yesterday that the store may remain closed through the holidays while the fungus is removed, but they are also looking for a temporary quarters.

Conshohocken has finally made plans to move employees out of its mold-ridden borough hall, while it weighs cleaning up the historic building and converting it into a public safety center. The borough will move into 5,015 square feet of space at One First Avenue near Fayette Street on April 1, officials said last week. The seven-block move puts the borough home near the Matsonford Bridge, close to office towers along the Schuylkill. Under terms of the five-year lease signed by borough officials last Thursday, rent climbs from $100,300 the first year to $110,330 in the fifth.

The teachers' union in the Pottsgrove School District says it may ask Montgomery County Court to order Lower Pottsgrove Elementary School closed if the district does not respond to union requests to have the school's air retested and, if necessary, cleaned. Union president Kathy Baker said yesterday that teachers had continued to complain of eye irritations, upper-respiratory problems, headaches, and difficulty breathing. Similar symptoms were reported last school year by faculty and students, prompting the district to close the school in the fall for cleanup of the bacteria and mold believed to be responsible for the ailments.

Rowan University has abandoned its $16 million plan to buy a 400-unit apartment complex next to campus after inspectors warned that the complex has a chronic problem with mold. Four environmental tests raised questions about the Crossings, which the board of trustees decided to purchase in April to ease an unprecedented demand for student housing. The presence of the possibly harmful Stachybotrys mold in the basement, laundry room and apartment bathrooms was of particular concern, an inspector from Quality Environmental Concepts reported.

Residents in Washington Township have the opportunity tomorrow to resolve one of the Gloucester County community's latest hot-button issues: mold in the schools. A yes vote in a referendum on spending $6.2 million in local taxes would result in replacement of the heating and ventilation systems in two middle schools. The state would kick in nearly $6.8 million. That question and a larger one for other repair and construction work in Washington Township top the list of proposals before voters in six area districts tomorrow.