City OKS $1.2M to fix Alamodome’s mold
The Alamodome is a little moldy.
The 30-year-old facility had sprung a few leaks, causing water damage to 3,160 square feet of ceiling, mostly over corner stairwells on its fifth-floor concourse. And mold, which thrives in moist, humid environments, now has a toehold in the Alamodome.
To clean it up, the City Council on Thursday OK’D a $1.2 million contract with Cotton Commercial USA for “mold remediation services” for the city-owned arena.
The Houston-based company describes itself as “fully equipped to respond 24/7 when disaster strikes.”
Council members didn’t publicly discuss the Alamodome’s mold problem. They left the allocation for the cleanup on the “consent agenda,” which is usually packed with routine items that council disposes of with upor-down votes — and without comment.
Indeed, city officials appear reluctant to say “mold” and “Alamodome” in the same sentence.
The documents that city staffers provided to council members to explain the remediation request were fuzzy on the details, and a 211-word statement to the Express-news didn’t include any direct references to mold.
Patricia Muzquiz Cantor, the city’s director of convention and sports facilities, said in an interview that staffers discovered the problem over the summer. They noticed yellowing in the corner stairwells of the north and south ends of the upper concourse — an indication of water damage. Leaks were the culprit.
“Storm water has been entering the walls at several areas, including the transitions at dissimilar cladding components, control joints, cap flashings, perimeter flashings/flashing joints and columns,” Alamodome spokesman Richard Oliver said in the aforementioned statement.
The good news is that the 64,000-seat arena’s roof isn’t damaged; sealants not doing their job properly may be the source of the leaks. The leaks have been patched, Oliver said.
Sports fans, conventioneers or concertgoers headed to the Alamodome shouldn’t be worried, Muzquiz Cantor said.
“I don’t think there are any health and safety concerns for any of our patrons,” she said.
Opened in 1993 at a cost of $186 million, the Alamodome hosts dozens of events each year, including the Valero Alamo Bowl, and is the home stadium for the University of Texas at San Antonio football team. The stadium was also the Spurs’ home court from 1993 to 2002.
City officials have said the Alamodome is in dire need of a “substantial” renovation if San Antonio wants to compete with other venues for concerts and sporting events. Council is expected to discuss the arena’s future in the coming months.
The mold cleanup should be finished soon, now that council has approved the remediation contract, Muzquiz Cantor said.
The work will include removing drywall, deep-cleaning the interior wall, sanitizing and the “complete demolition of all hazard areas,” Oliver said.