Hours after the Riviera Beach confirmed the police department has been infected with mold, city council members called for a special meeting Monday to discuss plans moving forward.
It's still business as usual at the Riviera Beach Police Department, despite officers who complained to the Police Benevolent Association about visible mold inside the department.
"They're concerned and they want it fixed and if they are going to have to work in that building for the city of Riviera Beach, they want that mold fixed," said John Kazanjian, president of the Police Benevolent Association.
Riviera Beach City Manager Jonathan Evans said the city took care of the mold in those pictures provided to the Police Benevolent Association.
"Yeah, you can clean it up, but you have to fix the problem," said Kazanjian.
The city building is the third one in the last month to show signs of mold.
"We've also brought forward a plan to repair the roof and to make sure there's no more water intrusion into the facility," said Evans.
The city closed the Public Works Department after discovering mold. Evans expects employees will have to be out of the building for 8 to 12 months. In the meantime, they have been moved to another building.
On Wednesday, crews closed the City Council Chambers also because of mold. The repair job will take up to 30 days. City council meetings will be taking place at the City Marina Event Center in the interim.The mold has been tested and is not toxic.
"One of the concern for us is the air quality, making sure that folks are not experiencing allergic reactions," said Evans.
Some city council members have said the mold issues are not new.
"We got to go back and look to see where somebody dropped the ball and we have to see who dropped the ball, but the main thing is now who is going to pick the ball up and correct it and fix it," said Mayor Thomas Masters.
Evans said a contributing factor for the delay in moving forward with necessary repairs has been the substantial funds required to address the issues in the city buildings which are large and old facilities.
The special council meeting to discuss plans moving forward to address the mold issues is set for Monday at 5 p.m. at the Riviera Beach City Marina Event Center.
The city hired a safety inspector last October who is conducting routine air quality tests. Evans said dealing with the mold issues is a priority for the city administration.
