Mold, water damage found in East Dundee office building

East Dundee is spending $21,900 to remediate mold and water damage found in an office building partly occupied by Dundee Township staff.

A stagnant, musty smell has been noticeable in the former Summit School at 611 E. Main St. since last month, said Dundee Township Assessor Michael Bielak. Township officials notified the village of the issues July 11 after realizing the carpeting in a vacant wing of the building was damp and moldy.

The damage, which started on the second floor, was caused by a joint on a roof drain that had come apart, allowing water to funnel into the building, interim Public Works Director Adam Peters said. Village staff members inspected the area and fixed the failed joint, but the damage had already spread to some former classrooms and trickled down to the first floor.

Village officials hired Dundee-based Perfection Cleaning & Restoration to clean up the mess starting this week. Peters said future air quality tests could cost an additional $1,000 or more.

"It's in an unoccupied part of the building," Village Administrator Jennifer Johnsen said. "We're remediating it so it doesn't spread any further."

East Dundee owns about 57 percent of the property, including the affected area, Johnsen said. Other office condos in the building are owned by the township, the Gallery 611 event venue, and businessman Tom Roeser, who was responsible for repurposing the facility several years ago.

The village spent roughly $40,000 to replace the roof on the building in April, Johnsen said. Officials are unsure whether the roof drain was disconnected during that project.

Though the village addressed the water damage quickly, Bielak said, many township employees were initially worried the mold would affect their health. The odor, though not overpowering, was especially noticeable after the weekends and near the entrance most used by township employees, he said.

Township Supervisor Trish Glees said she immediately requested East Dundee seal the doors to the mold-infested area. Her office also funded its own air quality tests, which determined the mold did not have any effect on the township's portion of the building.

"Things are safe, which is good for the morale of the staff. They were very concerned about it," Bielak said. "We're just happy they're starting to fix the problem."