County facilities manager reports mold traces at West Campus; board discusses in‑house remediation

Dubuque County’s facility and maintenance manager reported Sept. 8 that SERVPRO identified trace cladosporium behind window trim at the West Campus office building and found elevated moisture levels; SERVPRO’s demo + rebuild quote totaled about $2,410.11 per window. The manager told supervisors he plans to perform the work in‑house at a materials cost of roughly $407.60 per window, estimating $13,858.40 to address 34 windows.

Supervisor questioners raised concerns about whether in‑house staff had sufficient remediation experience and whether appropriate respiratory‑protection and HEPA containment procedures would be followed. The facilities manager said one maintenance staffer has over 10 years’ experience and prior mold‑mitigation work, that containment, HEPA filtration and personal protective equipment would be used, and that remediation debris would be disposed of at the landfill as SERVPRO recommended. A supervisor asked for a technical update within 30 days and asked staff to provide more detailed documentation of remediation steps and a respiratory protection program.

The manager also reported a root cause: an outside‑air processing unit had been off for roughly three years, increasing condensation risk; repairs to controls and a replacement board were underway and weekly checks were instituted to ensure the unit stays operational. The board did not authorize external remediation at the meeting but directed staff to continue work, provide costs and technical documentation, and return with an update.