Mold meltdown: Election officials, county discuss solutions

LIMA - The struggle continues over what to do with the Allen County Board of Elections.

Board members met Thursday to discuss possible solutions to mold and moisture problems that have plagued their offices for the past eight years. At this point, they need to come up with both long- and short-term solutions, said board Chairman Gary Frueh.

"We've got a mold problem, obviously. We just need to find out what it's going to cost to take care of it for now and what we can do over the long-term," Frueh said.

The elections offices, located in the basement of the Court of Appeals building on Main Street, has had a mold problem since at least 2000. Over the years, county commissioner have approved a variety of measures to try to resolve the problem, including spending $50,000 in 2004 to take parts of the office down to the stud walls and clean out the mold.

But in recent months the mold has grown, along with the battle between commissioners and Elections Board Director Keith Cunningham over what needs to be done. Last week, commissioners met with Cunningham, Frueh and others. The meeting quickly dissolved into a heated debate. A few hours later, Cunningham and his staff held a press conference announcing they were hiring a lawyer and could pursue a lawsuit against the county doesn't rectify the problem.

On Thursday, the elections board discussed what they want done. The results of an air-quality study are expected back in the next week or so, and should give them an idea of what needs to be done to make the space safe for workers at least through the upcoming election. The board also narrowed their long-term options to two, which Frueh will present to the commissioners. One of those options is to lease or buy a building on High Street formerly used by the United States Postal Service. The second is to construct a new building at the Allen County Sanitary Engineering property on Cole Street.

Cunningham told the board that wherever they go, they will have to move. Crews may be able to clean up the mold temporarily, but past experience proves it will ultimately return.

"The commissioners took most, not all of the serious problem areas and dealt with them, but this is a continuing problem," Cunningham said. "The problem is that there is moisture down here and an office that is dark 16 hours a day. It's going to be a reoccurring problem."

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