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Jason Terry, chairman of the BFUHS board, demonstrated how small a nanogram is in relation to a cubic meter. Terry had the school's maintenance director Jeffrey Potter build a box, a meter by a meter by a meter, and he took a paper clip to show just how tiny the overall concentration was.
The Bellows Falls Union High School auditorium and other rooms have been closed off due to elevated levels of PCBs.
Bellows Falls Union High School
Jason Terry, chairman of the BFUHS board, demonstrated how small a nanogram is in relation to a cubic meter. Terry had the school's maintenance director Jeffrey Potter build a box, a meter by a meter by a meter, and he took a paper clip to show just how tiny the overall concentration was.
The Bellows Falls Union High School auditorium and other rooms have been closed off due to elevated levels of PCBs.
Bellows Falls Union High School
WESTMINSTER — The Bellows Falls Union High School Board took its first steps Monday night to improve the air quality at the school after the discovery of unsafe levels of PCBs in the school's air.
With the worst contaminated spots already designated off-limits to the school's staff as they get ready for the opening of school in two weeks, the board agreed to apply to the state for permission to buy about 50 carbon filtration devices, which cost about $1,100 each.
BFUHS Principal Kelly O'Ryan said that she and Superintendent Andy Haas had met with the school's new consultant late in the afternoon on Monday and he had suggested the carbon filters as a first step.
Greg McDonald of the Burlington engineering firm of VHB, had been recommended by state officials to act as the school's environmental consultant. McDonald had earlier worked for the state on evaluating the school for testing.
McDonald will lead the effort to locate the source of the PCB pollution in different areas of the school, including the gymnasium and associated rooms such as the coaches' offices and locker rooms.
Also off-limits because of readings above the "immediate action level" are the school's auditorium and stage. Two classrooms close by -- the art room and the economic arts rooms -- also have elevated levels, but not as bad as the gym and auditorium.
Complicating the issue is the design of the 1970s-era school, which was built without traditional walls as an 'open concept' school, although tall room dividers are now employed.
To varying degrees different key areas in the school exceed the safe limits set by state law, with the gym having the highest reading at 850 nanograms per cubic meter, and the auditorium at 380 and the stage at 470.
Anything over 300 nanograms calls for immediate action and no access. Other areas with readings over 100 nanograms per cubic meter include the art rooms and the family/consumer classrooms.
The full school board, at one of its regular monthly meetings Monday night, again met with various state officials who work on PCB issues for the Department of Health, the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Agency of Education. All will attend the upcoming community forum in person Thursday evening about the PCB issue, which is being held at Bellows Falls Middle School.
The school board is facing a decision on what option to take about dealing with the contamination, specifically whether to limit exposure to staff and students to 26 hours a week until a permanent fix is completed.
One possibility is to switch to a four-day school week schedule, rather than a daily shortened school day.
Director June Streeter of Westminster suggested the school immediately get a large tent, with a potential for heating, to substitute for the gymnasium.
O'Ryan, who is in her second month of leading the high school, said that she was working closely with the school's maintenance director Jeff Potter, as well as the school's football coach, Bob Lockerby, and the school's athletic director to make sure the school's fall sports would be successful despite the PCB challenge. She said she is meeting with all the coaches Tuesday afternoon.
She said the coaches' offices were being moved to the transportation office, and much smaller locker rooms were being set up in rooms next to the school's wood shop.
Jill Briggs-Campbell, from the Agency of Education, appearing remotely, said that there was $13.5 million left in a special PCB fund to help pay for solutions to the PCB problem. It is "first come, first served" for districts seeking funding, and spending is reimbursed 100 percent, she said. Any purchase of equipment must be first approved by the Department of Environmental Conservation, she said, since the Agency of Education is only what she called "the bank" of the money.
The city of Burlington has received a large chunk of the state fund to pay for the demolition of its old high school and clean up, she said. The city has since voted to build a new high school.
The quick decision to get the carbon filters was a message the board said it wanted to send to reassure the staff, faculty, parents and students that it was taking the health and safety issues seriously. Earlier in the day, concerns were voiced that the PCB discovery could lead to "widespread resignations" among the staff.
Jason Terry, chairman of the BFUHS board, said he and others were concerned about the academic and social impacts on the students. "It's a challenge and we'll do the right thing," Terry said. "We don't have the answers yet."
"It is about not setting the kids back academically again as COVID did," he said. "It will require all of us coming together to make sure the kids have the best opportunity to succeed," said Terry, who has two children in the school.
Terry remains skeptical about the science behind the PCB testing, and he demonstrated just how small a nanogram is in relation to a cubic meter. Terry had the school's maintenance director Jeffrey Potter build a box, a meter by a meter by a meter, and he took a paper clip to show just how tiny the overall concentration was.
Director David Clark suggested that the school's current HVAC system, which is not in good shape, be brought up to full speed to work on filtering the air in the immediate near term, but both O'Ryan and Haas said that McDonald counseled against that, as it may spread more PCBs. PCBs can become imbedded in the metal ductwork, Haas said.
Another Windham County school that is coping with a PCB problem, Twin Valley Elementary in Wilmington ran into the same problem as it ramped up its HVAC system, Haas noted — the PCB readings rose.
The Bellows Falls school is on the verge of installing a new HVAC system at a cost of $5 million, but it hasn't signed a contract yet for the project, which will be funded in part with federal COVID-19 funding. Haas had said earlier in the day that the school district would apply for a waiver so it doesn't lose that COVID-19 funding, since it needs to be spent by a deadline.
School Director Deborah Wright of Rockingham said her research showed that PCBs are found in many items, not just in schools.
"We're exposed to PCBs all the time," she said. "We need to keep level heads about and get it down," she said of the PCB levels.
Terry said the PCB crisis was another sad reminder to him how the school building had been neglected over the years, with more of the school budget resources going to staff, rather than keeping the building up to shape.
"I feel sad about that condition of the building and how we got here," he said.
In addition to the faculty meeting on Thursday the community forum on Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m., will be held at the Bellows Falls Middle School auditorium. The Windham Northeast Supervisory Union meeting of all the school boards are meeting Wednesday at 6 p.m., also at the middle school. They will also discuss the PCB situation and there is a Zoom talk with WNESU's attorney Pietro Lynn, whose firm has filed a lawsuit against Monsanto, the manufacturer of PCB materials, on behalf of close to 100 Vermont school districts, including the WNESU. The vote to join the lawsuit was never voted on by any of the school boards but was a decision by Haas.
Clark said he believed that Lynn now has a conflict of interest on the matter of PCBs, since his law firm stands to make a large commission on any potential settlement from Monsanto. The draft contract with the WNESU and Lynn's firm specifies a 33.3 percent payment from any settlement, a percentage which seemed to take some school directors by surprise. Lynn's law firm has partnered with two other national law firms on the Monsanto suit.
Contact Susan Smallheer at ssmallheer@reformer.com.
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