Jail cells cleared for occupancy

link Staff photo: Tony Bullocks

Curry County Detention Center Chief of Security Moe Espinoza, County Manager Lance Pyle and Public Services and interim Jail Administrator Sandra Stewart examine the ceiling of pod 5 on Tuesday afternoon. Roof repairs are in progress, but evidence of mold has been removed from the jail, officials said.

Air quality tests at the Curry County jail have determined that pods 5, 6 and 7 are cleared for occupancy.

Inmates are not back in their cells yet because other repairs are under way, but officials said Wednesday that mold issues have been eliminated.

On May 23, an air quality test performed by Sun City Analytical, Inc. of El Paso, Texas, detected Stachybotrys — a “greenish or black mold,” according to the Centers for Disease Control — in pod 7 and elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the medical office that were above normal amounts.

Sandra Stewart, Curry County’s public services director and interim jail administrator, said an exhaust fan that was not working correctly caused the excessive carbon dioxide levels.

“That fan was very quickly repaired,” Stewart said. “It was fixed very promptly after the report came out.”

Since then, the county contracted Southwest Hazard Control of Albuquerque to conduct remediation and perform air quality tests in the pods after mold remediation had been completed.

On Aug. 11, Southwest Hazard Control cleared pods 5 and 6 for occupancy, but still detected “an elevated mold level” still existed in pod 7. The company recommended that the area be cleaned again and “encapsulated with a mold growth inhibitor.”

On Aug. 18, another test was conducted in pod 7. The mold levels were lowered and the area was cleared for occupancy.

Inmates, however, have not been moved back into the pods. Stewart said maintenance crews at the jail are “actively working on repairs.”

Repairs include touch-up paint, ceiling repairs and making sure the facility is in working order, she said.

Additionally, the $592,900 roof repair at the jail began Aug. 17 and is “progressing well,” Curry County Manager Lance Pyle said.

On July 23, commissioners approved a contract with DKG & Associates to complete roof repairs in 30 days.

Stewart said it would be about two more weeks until the roof is complete, and the county can begin repopulating the vacant pods again.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the county has 57 inmates out of county, costing taxpayers around $95,550 a month, Pyle told commissioners on July 23 — excluding medical and transportation costs.

Stewart was adamant that black mold was never found in any of the pods.

“It was never black mold,” Stewart said. “Black mold is a specific kind of mold, and it's really bad. I think people hear, ‘mold,’ and somehow black mold got brought up in all of that, but it’s not.”

Mold remediation from Southwest Hazard Control has cost the county $18,781.26.

On Monday, Stewart said the county signed a $11,136.43 contract with Carpet Tech to clean the ductwork throughout the entire jail once the roof repair is completed.