March 17, 2013 Superintendent Chad Farnsworth Bradford County School Board 501 W.

Washington Street Starke, FL 32091 Transmission via email RE: Clearance Certificate Starke Elementary School

Dear Superintendent Farnsworth: Air Intellect is pleased to provide this clearance certificate relating to moisture damage and indoor environmental quality for the Starke Elementary School. Air Intellect provided independent environmental consulting, including assessment and clearance testing.

Background:
In the late summer of 2013, microbiological growth was discovered on isolated surfaces in each of the buildings. The District closed the school for further investigation, remediation and renovation. Air Intellect found that carpeting in each building was found to have an elevated fungal burden. HVAC air handlers, which were at the end of their practical service life were also a source of problems. Mold growth is always a result of a moisture problem. Specifically, Air Intellects building analysis determined that the moisture problems were caused by: 1) Insufficient dehumidification of outdoor air for ventilation; 2) Insufficient quantity of dehumidified outdoor for adequate building pressurization; and, 3) Building envelope air leakage particularly at the ends of each building which allowed the entry of hot, humid air during long portions of the year. A irIn t el l ect ,L L C

1220 Sedgefield Road Tallahassee, Florida 32317 850.219.2427 fax: 800.585.9512

Superintendent Chad Farnsworth March 17, 2014 Page 2

An architect and a professional mechanical engineer developed solutions with the intent of correcting the root causes of the humidity problems. The solutions applied included the replacement of 86 water-source heat pumps, associated cooling towers, pumps, and a sophisticated control system. In addition, gaps in the building envelopes were thoroughly sealed using spray polyurethane foam. Air Intellect agreed with the Districts decision to remove all carpeting. In addition, we recommended a subsequent three-phase remedial cleaning process. Air Intellect prepared a detailed cleaning protocol document which specified cleaning procedures. The first phase was cleaning the interior metal surfaces of the remaining heating, air-conditioning and ventilation ducting. This cleaning was performed by a professional air duct cleaning contractor. Phase II included cleaning isolated surfaces which were determined to have surface mold growth and discarding any fleecy materials which may have had mold growth (e.g., fabric chairs, etc.). Two Florida-licensed mold remediation contractors performed this remedial cleaning. Phase III is an on-going deeper top-down housekeeping that was (and continues to be) performed by custodians and/or volunteers. Air Intellect performed project monitoring and a variety of clearance inspections and testing following cleaning in compliance with our protocol and national professional standards.

Clearance Certificate:
Air Intellect provided consulting services as required to issue a Certificate of Mold Cleaning Clearance, and finds no basis for additional remedial cleaning at Starke Elementary School. The indoor surfaces and indoor air quality following the renovation and remedial activities were consistent with that of clean and properly maintained school buildings, with no mold growth. The opinions stated here are based on architectural and engineering root cause correction statements and Air Intellects post-cleaning verification assessments. Our visual, procedural, and analytical evaluation (clearance testing) independently validated that the moisture-damage and resultant mold had been properly remediated and eliminated in accordance with our stringent cleaning protocol and in accordance with the requirements of the Florida Mold Rules (FL Ch. 468), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mold Guidelines for Schools1, national professional standards, and scientific guidelines. As part of our clearance assessment, Air Intellect performed over 100 state-of-the-art fungal surface and air samples. For instance, the air samples were collected for
1

EPA Document 402-K-01-001 Mold Remediation for Schools and Commercial Buildings (Mar. 2001), p. 14. 1220 Sedgefield Road Tallahassee, Florida 32317 850.219.2427 fax: 800.585.9512

A irIn t el l ect ,L L C

Superintendent Chad Farnsworth March 17, 2014 Page 3

over eight hours and analysis was performed using advanced DNA-based techniques at an accredited laboratory, by a PhD microbiologist, with quality assurance reviews by two additional PhD microbiologists. Additional state-of-the art testing and screening was conducted for mold mycotoxins, bacteria in the air, respirable particulates, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde in the air, and volatile organic compounds in the air. A moisture assessment of building materials was performed as part of our clearance procedure, which included moisture meter readings and infrared thermography. Prior to the placement of new flooring, concrete slabs were evaluated for excessive moisture using three different techniques. The concrete floors met the standards of the Resilient Floor Covering Institute and standard industry guidelines for the application of new vinyl composition tile in all areas where carpeting was removed. Our long-term independent data-logging of temperature and relative humidity indicated that humidity control conditions in the buildings were not conducive to future fungal growth at the time of our final remediation verification assessment. We plan to submit our final project-closeout report on at the end of business on Wednesday, March 26, 2014. Superintendent Farnsworth, your prudent approach to providing a healthful learning environment and efforts to rally community-wide support for this renovation are exemplary. The efforts of Mr. Sapp of the Maintenance Department and his staff, Principal Melvin and school administrators, teachers, and community volunteers are also highly commendable. Thank you for the privilege to be involved with this effort. If you have questions, please contact me. Sincerely,

Eric D. Althouse, CIAQP President Florida Mold Assessment Consultant (License #MRSA2228, Expires 7-31-14) Attachments: Qualifications & Standard Limitations

1220 Sedgefield Road Tallahassee, Florida 32317 850.219.2427 fax: 800.585.9512

A irIn t el l ect ,L L C

Superintendent Chad Farnsworth March 17, 2014 Page 4

Qualifications of Eric Althouse:

Eric Althouse is an Environmental Consultant and a Childrens Environmental Health Advocate. Mr. Althouse has been providing consultation and environmental hygiene services relating to indoor environmental quality (IEQ) for 24 years, and is a Certified Indoor Air Quality Professional and a Florida- and Texas-licensed Mold Assessment Consultant. He has 14 years of experience with private environmental consulting firms. Mr. Althouse, through Air Intellect, has held major disaster recovery contracts for large institutional agencies. Previously, Eric was the Environmental, Health and Safety Director and Industrial (Environmental) Hygiene Consultant for the Florida Department of Education. In this role he served as an indoor environmental quality consultant to Floridas School Districts, Colleges and Universities. For the past nearly 10 years, he has been the President of Air Intellect, LLC, a consulting firm which specializes in indoor environmental quality assessments, including mold assessment and building science. He has performed IEQ investigations, assessments and testing in over 2,000 buildings, including 1,500 educational buildings. Mr. Althouse has attended numerous trainings and seminars related to IEQ, and has presented over 400 training workshops and presentations on IEQ in his career. He holds a Bachelors of Science (Biology) degree from the U. of South Alabama. He has co-authored scientific articles related to fungal sampling and IEQ, including a book chapter on IEQ in the most recent American Industrial Hygiene Association Engineering Manual (2012).

1220 Sedgefield Road Tallahassee, Florida 32317 850.219.2427 fax: 800.585.9512

A irIn t el l ect ,L L C

Superintendent Chad Farnsworth March 17, 2014 Page 5

Standard Limitations
The opinions expressed by Eric D. Althouse (Air Intellect, LLC) are based on, but not limited to, visual observations, information collected, reports/descriptions provided to Air Intellect that are related to the building/systems, professional education, training, scientific peer-review and experience, including experience associated with the Center for Indoor Air Research Laboratory at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC), Lubbock, Texas and the University of Central Florida (UCF) Florida Solar Energy Center (Indoor Air Section). This mold clearance certificate is neither an expressed nor implied warranty and/or guarantee as to future life and/or performance of the items analyzed. Failure to find a biological agent or related environmental conditions is not absolute assurance of their absence nor of the absence of exposure and risk. Air Intellect reserves the rights to revise, supplement, and otherwise amend this report as further information and evidence may be made known. Since buildings are under the influence of numerous external factors and occupant activities, fungal ecology and environmental conditions within the buildings are subject to change. As building occupancy changes, mechanical systems degrade or are modified and external weather conditions change, the building environment will also change. -End-

1220 Sedgefield Road Tallahassee, Florida 32317 850.219.2427 fax: 800.585.9512

A irIn t el l ect ,L L C