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August 12, 2010
Bertha Traigle
August 13, 2010
Going from a 5,000-square-foot facility to a 1,800-square-foot room in the back of a church wasn’t exactly the ideal plan for those who frequent the Schriever Senior Center. But mold issues forced the closure of the center April 19; it’s temporarily relocated nearby at St. Bridget’s Church.
The mold was caused by possible Hurricane Katrina damage and a faulty roof that has since been replaced, according to Terrebonne Council on Aging director Diana Edmonson.
“I was going to the center four days a week, and we noticed rose-colored stains on the sheet rock,” said Patsy Evans, spokesperson for the center. “We found out a gentleman came to do mold testing, so we didn’t know what was going to take place.”
According to Evans, staffers were notified on April 17 that they had two days to vacate the building. A contractor’s sign on the side of the building indicates Houma-based Buzz Cabinet & Millwork Remodeling LLC has been hired to work on the building.
“We couldn’t take anything to the new facility because everything was subject to mold transfer,” Evans said.
More than three months later, seniors still wait for repair work to begin, according to Dave Roten.
“I drive by there every day when I go to eat lunch, and there’s been no activity at the center,” Roten, a member of the center, said. “No one is there at all.”
And although Evans and the rest of the seniors are grateful for their temporary home in Didier Hall at St. Bridget’s, it’s a tight squeeze for the 200 to 250 people who visit on a regular basis.
“The seniors that eat meals there are bumping elbows,” Evans said, expressing concern for handicapped individuals. “Handicapped seniors have extreme problems because the doors are small for the wheelchairs to fit through.”
And after having to put some routine activities on hold due to space constraints for a number of weeks, Evans brought the issue to Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet’s town hall meeting in Schriever.
“I don’t expect seniors to be the most important element,” she said of the repair project. “We should have much more progress. If it’s not a money issue, I think we should be moving forward.”
Claudet said he was unaware of the situation.
However, the Terrebonne Council on Aging oversees operations and maintenance of the senior center. The parish president told Evans he would try to facilitate a meeting with Edmonson.
Edmonson said the center’s progress has been put on hold so more mold testing could be conducted, so the repairs can be done correctly.
“We received a second opinion and will continue the construction of the building,” Edmondson said. “We want to be sure we’re doing the right thing, so we can best eradicate the mold.
“I can’t put [senior citizens] back in until the building is done right,” she said.
Until the building is repaired, Edmonson praised St. Bridget’s for being so accommodating to the seniors.
“They have been wonderful,” she said. “We only have to pay the utilities on the building while we are there. When we start to put the center back together, we don’t want to have to do it again because it’s been heart-wrenching to see our beautiful building almost demolished.”
Once mold-testing experts give the go-ahead, Edmondson said remediation will continue to get the building operable as quickly as possible.
An empty Schriever Senior Center awaits mold remediation and renovations for over three months, as furniture remains covered with plastic tarps for anticipated construction work. COURTESY PHOTO
