Consulting firm examines air quality at county-owned Alpine Center
GAYLORD — Otsego County hired Mackinac Environmental Technology Inc. to test the interior surface and air quality in the J. Richard Yuill Alpine Center building at 800 Livingston Blvd. in Gaylord.
The Alpine Center was built in 1937 as a tuberculosis sanatorium and then converted to a mental institution in the 1960s. In 1982, it became an office building housing county offices and courtrooms after the county purchased the building and five others along with 160 acres for $1.
Thomas Marquard, director of planning, zoning, capital projects and grants for the county, said Mackinac Environmental Technology (MET) visited the building in October 2022 and conducted sampling for mold and asbestos.
Testing in 2006 found that plaster in the building didn't have asbestos while 2022 testing found no asbestos in ceiling tiles. There are pipes that do have asbestos wrappings around them and they have been labeled and are considered secure, according to Marquard.
Phase I of the MET report identified some acute areas of concern regarding molds.
"Acute areas would mean if it was discovered in an air sample or if there were visible areas of mold. Those (areas) that were identified in Phase I have been taken care of," said Marquard.
"The owner of MET (Ed Radecki), met with Alpine Center employees (in October 2022), to explain his findings. He said that Phase 1 focused on remediating areas that can be disturbed by employee contact (window sills and blistering paint). Areas that are not contactable (above ceiling tiles, etc.) and unlikely to create airborne spore activity will be addressed in Phase II," Marquard added.
Last year, leaks allowed water into certain offices in the building.
"Their report specifies that exterior moisture sources (such as a leaky roof and windows) must be rectified prior to Phase II mitigation activity. MET also acknowledged that any additional water intrusions could revive mold growth in Phase I treated areas, which would necessitate additional mitigation for Phase I areas," Marquard said.
Phase II remediation has not been scheduled yet because the work involved is in areas that require more intricate and detailed attention, Marquard said.
"We don't have a date for that yet. We are currently gathering costs for components known to need repair (windows, roofing, air conditioning, walls, sills, brick, plaster and paint) and these may well prove a catalyst for potential new building discussions," said Marquard.
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He said MET is acting strictly as an environmental consultant and did not offer an opinion of the building’s future life or structural integrity nor address the question of whether it may be more cost effective to build a new building rather than repair the existing one.
In 2021, voters rejected a proposed $29 million Otsego County justice complex that would have included a new jail, new offices for the sheriff’s department, road patrol, prosecuting attorney and probation/parole services along with two new courtrooms.
— Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Consulting firm examines air quality at county-owned Alpine Center
