Mold problem result of neglect

The headline from a recent Stamford Advocate could not have been clearer; “More mold issues surfacing.” What started out as some mold in a school, or two, has now affected most, if not all, of the entire school system and is now at the Government Center, “Growths’ found in government center spaces”, Jan. 16. How appropriate that under the reign of Mayor “Do Nothing” Martin that the Government Center has mold. Similar to the incompetence in Stamford’s government, the mold has grown and grown and grown.

Let’s examine what has transpired over the last few months. Mold has been discovered in the schools. Yes, the same schools that were maintained poorly, if they were maintained at all, by AFB Construction Management, which was led by CEO Al Barbarotta, a friend of former Mayor and former Governor Dan Malloy. Despite years of criticism of the poor maintenance in the schools, AFB remained until March 2017 until ABM Industries was hired to manage the city’s public school buildings. Who did ABM hire to handle the maintenance? None other than AFB’s second-in-command in the Stamford district, Richard Lyons.

Not to be outdone, Mike Handler, director of administration in Stamford, says that “black growth behind vinyl wall coverings in the third floor bathrooms and on the office HVAC vents and adjacent tiles” in the Government Center “was not tested to determine whether or not it was mold.” How reassuring to know that a member of the “Mold Task Force” was too incompetent to test “black growth” to determine if it is mold.

Even worse, the “black growth” had been present in the Government Center but was ignored until teachers, the very ones who were displaced by mold in their schools, went to the Government Center to work and immediately noticed the “black growth.” Of course most people who worked in the Government Center were aware of water leaks and the “black growth,” but as happens throughout Stamford, the problem was ignored. According to a building representative, “there are frequent leaks in the area.” How many of you would allow frequent leaks to occur in your home? Why are there frequent leaks and why was that not a cause of concern?

All these years of poor to non-existent maintenance leads me ask who was part of Stamford’s Government for all those years and turned a blind eye to the problem? None other than David Martin. After 29 years on the Boards of Stamford, he was unaware of the problem. After five years as mayor, he was unaware of the problem. How? One of the worst kept secrets in Stamford was the poor to non-existent maintenance of the schools by Malloy’s buddy. What did he think would happen after years of neglect and improper maintenance?

It was only when students, teachers, and administrators complained was the problem addressed. Martin sprang into action and created a “Mold Task Force” and has now doubled the debt limit. In other words, he’s done nothing but put up a PR show and kicked the can down the road. As for who should be held responsible for this mess, who should be blamed for this mess, and who should accept responsibility for this mess, Martin will be hiding behind a wall of incompetency. He’s had almost 35 years of experience skirting from any responsibly for his actions, or lack of actions and he’s not about to step up and accept the blame he so surely deserves. As for the taxpayers, Martin’s incompetence, AFB’s incompetence, and the Board of Ed’s incompetence, will cost us millions in cleanup costs and lawsuits.