Opening of Columbus school still unresolved

BRIDGEPORT -- As of late Friday afternoon, school officials still did not know if Columbus School is safe to open.

Schools Superintendent John Ramos said that test results expected from the Environmental Protection Agency had not been received, leaving in limbo whether the school will open just a day late or force students at the school to be scattered between five other schools in the district beginning Wednesday.

In the midst of a protracted, three-year renovation project, it was discovered that caulking around the windows of the 46-year-old school located on George Street contained Polychlorinated biphenyl, or PCBs, a suspected carcinogenic. In removing and encapsulating the contaminated material, some PCBs escaped the containment area.

Several "clearance" tests have been conducted to determine if air and surfaces in the school are free of contamination. While the school has consistently passed a "wipe" test of surfaces, air test have come back with levels of PCBs higher than what is deemed appropriate for preschool aged children on the second and third floor of the school.

Tammy Boyle, a parent leader at the school, went to the school around 1 p.m. Friday and said she was told by officials from O&G, the school construction managers for the city, and district officials that the school flunked the latest test and that another was taken, with results expected on Monday.

In any case Columbus students will start a day later than all other elementary students in the district, reporting Wednesday instead of Tuesday. Clean test results will mean teachers will get one day to organize their classrooms before students return. If the school is not ready, students are to report to the Columbus School parking lot Wednesday and will be bussed as follows: pre-kindergarten through first graders would attend class at the Discovery Museum, second through fifth graders would be sent to Dunbar, Barnum and Blackham, and sixth through eighth graders will go to the Discovery School.

Boyle is okay with the plan. "I don't care where they go as long as it's safe," she said.

A safe level of PCB concentration for adults, according to the EPA's regulatory standard is .450 milligrams per cubic meter, which is reportedly the highest level recorded at Columbus. The last test on the third floor came back at .13 milligrams per cubic meter. The preschool level is .1 milligrams.

Officials are adjusting ventilation at the school to get the level down, said Ramos.

Teachers, privately, are nervous about reoccupying the building. One, who asked not to be identified said there is a lot of anxiety about the safety of the building and its new windows, which have very thick glass. They also report unbearable room temperatures on the third floor.

Contact Linda Lambeck at 203-330-6218 or lclambeck@ctpost.com. Follow her at twitter.com/lclambeck