Winfield still waiting on mold cleanup

The Village of Winfield will know in the next week how far it needs to go to clean up its police department's moldy basement office space.

Village officials are waiting on a final report and guidance from the Illinois Department of Labor on what they need to do to clean up mold discovered by investigators last month.

The state agency fielded a complaint from a village employee who claimed Winfield officials weren't doing enough to clean up mold growing in the basement following a May 24 flood.

Village Manager William Barlow said two companies have since come in at the village's request to assess the water damage and extent of the mold growth.

"There is mold, but there is mold in every building," Barlow said. "What we're waiting to see is what (the Department of Labor) will require us to do with mitigation."

About half of the police department's 4,200-square-foot space is in the village hall's basement. Among the items located in the space are the department's locker room, evidence room, lunch room and some of its files.

For now, Barlow said, that area is still off-limits to all employees.

The village has installed dehumidifiers to help remove excess moisture from the basement and much of the carpeting and damaged wall boards also will need to be removed.

But Barlow said the cleanup work is still on hold pending the final report from the state's labor department, which is expected sometime next week.

"If they want us to go in a different direction, we don't want to spend money doing something that's not necessary work," Barlow said.

For now, police officers are still coming to work in uniform and eating their meals in the village hall's upstairs lunchroom area, Barlow said.

And the village hall air-conditioning system, which was shut down to prevent any spread of the mold to other parts of the building, has been turned back on, he added.

"The heat and humidity can make mold growth worse," Barlow said.

The last major village hall renovation came in 1996, which included the construction of handicapped-accessible entrances and washrooms, as well as an expansion of police department offices.

The police department has also lobbied the village board in the past for a new facility.