ECSU releases mold findings

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. - Information just released from Elizabeth City State University shows tests found mold in two buildings on campus. In October, WAVY.com found what looked like mold on the ceiling of the Fine Arts Center. Some students told us it smelled so bad some classes moved outside.

Chancellor Willie Gilchrist says a report by North Carolina's Health Department proves the mold found is NOT TOXIC and he says crews are already working to remove it.

"The question is, do we have toxic mold, dangerous mold that would create a problem with the respiratory or body functions? The answer is no," says Gilchrist.

That's good news for Elizabeth City State University, but there is some not so good news.

"Did we find mold that we definitely do not want here? Yes, we found some of that," says Gilchrist.

"Some" being the key word.  Two rooms out of the two story Burnim Fine Arts Center tested positive for mold.  The band room is closed.  Dehumidifiers make the only music near the water marked carpet and what Health experts now say are moldy ceiling tiles.

"We have used the solution that was recommended in the report. We had to do some cleanup in the mechanical room. We do have to replace some ceiling tile in the band room. We do have to replace a few pieces of ceiling tile in the hallway near the door where we had leakage. You would have found some in the auditorium near the exit door, but that was a very simple clean up situation with the proper solution," says Gilchrist.

The chancellor tells WAVY.com the cleaning, as instructed by the Health Department, is underway.  Meanwhile across campus, the G.R. Little Theatre is dark after mold was found on chairs.

Because of the findings, new protocol is in place to make sure this doesn't happen again.

"We are going to beef up and we really can't talk about how we're going to bring forth more employess, but technically speaking we do need more hands on deck. In terms of having preventive maintenance protocol where our team can go in, and you'll see that in the summary as well, where we need to put the buildings on schedule for proper cleaning with the proper solution in those mechanical room areas," says Gilchrist.

As for the students' health, Gilchrist says nothing is more important and he looks forward to the future of ECSU.

"I would strongly recommend that parents consider coming to this safe environment here at Elizabeth City State University."

Gilchrist says the money for the clean up comes from the university repair and renovations fund.