WHATELY — The air is noticeably heavy inside the basement of the Frontier Regional School District administration building at 219 Christian Lane, and has resulted in health problems for people who work there.
An assessment of air quality in the building during April found carbon dioxide levels above recommended levels in the after-school room and another basement room, carpeting over 15 to 20 years old — well beyond the recommended life span of 11 years — furnace exhaust possibly entering rooms occupied by staff and birds nesting inside the building’s exhaust system.
The problems in the building constructed in 1915 are caused by old sections of carpet, poor ventilation and bird waste. The review was done by the state’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services. A private contractor hired by the school district came to the same air quality conclusions as the state investigation.
While the recent report did not conclude the air quality in the building is hazardous, it did recommend major renovations, such as tearing up old carpet and sealing up furnace piping.
“I feel responsible for the people working here,” said Martha Barrett, Frontier superintendent. “If you were here earlier in the day, you would have heard birds chirping in my chimney.”
A Frontier subcommittee met for the first time Tuesday to discuss what will be done with the building, and where the employees will go. The subcommittee said the Whately town offices, a space that has been eyed for South County EMS, would be a good long-term home for the school administration.
“We shouldn’t have people working here in substandard conditions,” said Robert Decker III, a School Committee member. “You wouldn’t find a Fortune 500 company working here.”
About 15 people work in the building, and most of them have experienced symptoms of some kind, such as headaches, sinus congestion, sore throat and irritated eyes.
In a survey, 57 percent of staff members said they had irritated skin; 57 percent also had headaches; and 71 percent reported having a stuffy or runny nose or a sinus congestion. All of them said they had a sore, hoarse or dry throat.
Renovations made to the building over the years, including adding air conditioning pipes, has compromised the ventilation system installed in the building when it was built. Now, the only way to ventilate the building is by opening windows.
Among the recommended repairs the report suggested were installing carbon monoxide detectors on each occupied floor, putting bird screens on all ventilation shafts, and removing carpeting in some areas.
The building’s renovation fund has $48,000, which has been set aside to replace the failing furnace. But more than $50,000 would be needed to patch up the air quality concerns, $150,000 is the price tag for more in-depth renovations, and it would cost about $500,000 to overhaul the entire building. That work includes adding an elevator and addressing other safety concerns, according to cost estimates.
“I would be real careful about saying this building makes people sick,” said School Committee member Philp Kantor. “But we have a report from serious people” saying the air quality is bad.
Barrett said when the wind blows, dust and chemicals from nearby crops are blown into the building. The worst section is on the east side, where her office is located, and also where fumes from a furnace in the basement might be seeping into occupied space.
The building also has other safety concerns, such as only one entrance or exit on the main floor.
Subcommittee members decided the first step in creating a safe working environment for the staff members who work in the building, is to figure out how much space they need. Then, employees can move to other locations such as the town offices or classrooms in Frontier Regional School.
Barrett said she has searched for other potential sites for the administrative staff, but has not found anything promising. The only other option is to renovate the building.
Meanwhile, during the Conway Select Board meeting Monday, member Robert Baker said that if the poor air quality is a medical hazard, the building should not be occupied.
“Potential bird waste throughout the system. Lots of odors in the bathroom,” said Conway Town Administrator Thomas Hutcheson during the meeting. “This is not something that we can wait for.”