North Carolina Central to Turn to Legislature For Money to Fix Mold ProblemBOONE, N.C.
The University of North Carolina system plans to turn to the General Assembly for as much as $17 million it needs to fix an expanding mold problem at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) that has shut down buildings and forced out students.
NCCU Chancellor James Ammons Jr. said last month the immediate cost for the most serious problems is just more than $27 million — $9.8 million for problems in nine buildings, $10.9 million for two residence halls and $6.4 million to repair outdated campus steam lines.
The UNC board of governors has approved the reallocation of $10.4 million in bond construction money to repair the residence halls, leaving it about $17 million short. The board could seek a special appropriation from the General Assembly or a bigger chunk of state repair and renovation money. NCCU could also issue bonds that would be paid off with dorm rents or other fees.
The long-term cost of ridding the campus of mold has been estimated at as much as $67 million, Ammons said.
University officials have said the mold problems in two 4-year-old dorms resulted in part from construction and design flaws. The buildings were designed by Gantt Huberman Architects, the firm of former Charlotte mayor and U.S. Senate candidate Harvey Gantt.
NCCU must gut those buildings and rebuild, clean up the mold and pay for temporary housing for the 500 students displaced.
A private consultant’s investigation into the mold on campus found a number of problems, from faulty steam lines to water leaks and ventilation defects in some of the other buildings.
— Associated Press
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