Mold and Water Damage Repair Underway at Hinsdale Middle School

Work is underway to repair mold and water damage inside Hinsdale Middle School while students and teachers are off for spring break from March 29 to April 7.

Water leaks and mold shut down the school for three days in January, and forced students and staff to hold classes for a few days at Clarendon Middle School.

Workers are installing two miles of baseboard throughout the building and followed by calking and two coats of paint.

Most work should be completed by the time classes reconvene on April 7, Bill Musrush, a project manager hired by Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Elementary Dist. 181, Hinsdale Doings reported.

“Everything has been going pretty much on schedule,” Mushrush told The Doings. “I can imagine that it’s been a big stress for the staff students here, but things are much improved and should be back to normal for them.”

Final painting outside the classrooms will be completed on weekends. The district is paying Mushrush $18,500 to complete the project.

Meanwhile, Sev-Pro, the company hired to do most of the mold-related work, and school custodians, began installing a new control system in the heating and air-conditioning system that would allow for better temperature control and fresh air exchange, Hinsdale Doings reported.

Most odors in the school from paint and baseboard installation should have subsided by the time students and faculty return to school on April 7.

Mushrush said District 181 custodians and ServPro staff would continue cleaning throughout spring break, using a very mild cleaning product.

Temporary downspouts have also been installed on the roof to replace those damaged over by the extreme cold over the winter.

Dist. 181 is shopping for an improved fire sprinkler system damage, to prevent water from remaining in system and freezing the pipes, and to enter the sprinkler system on the first and seconds floors only when needed.