The Monroe County Charlotte Zietlow Justice Center will reopen for normal operations Thursday, after closing Tuesday so maintenance staff could remove mold from the building.
In a letter last week, the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration told the Monroe Circuit Court that it received a complaint from an employee in the building of “mold and mildew in the upper levels of the building that seeps down through the ceiling and drips onto the desks and workspaces within my office.”
Removal of mold in the building started Monday, according to a press release from the county commissioners.
By Tuesday afternoon, the work had become “significantly disruptive,” causing the prosecutor and court offices to close. Because of their reliance on the courts, the Fiscus, Curry and Johnson Hardware buildings also closed.
Read more: IOSHA complaint on mold prompts closing of justice center until Thursday
In the release, President Julie Thomas said, “While it’s never ideal to close essential offices, this is a temporary measure to ensure the safety of our dedicated county staff and minimize disruption to their work.”
VET Environmental Engineering conducted a limited mold inspection in the Justice Building Monday. In air tests, it found acceptable levels of mold in most of the building. One room had elevated levels.
The surface tests of mold found high levels in multiple areas of the building. It attributed the mold to accumulating condensation on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units on the building’s third floor, which caused water damage to ceiling tiles.
The commissioner’s Wednesday press release said mold appeared in the prosecutor’s offices in “recent days” and some employees who worked in the area reported mild symptoms.
Removal and prevention of mold in the Justice building will continue into next week, according to the commissioners. When that process is done, the county will ask VET Environmental Engineering to re-test.
The commissioners’ release said the county jail facilities, which are also in the Justice Building, do not have known mold issues, and that they use a separate air system from the prosector and court offices.
