Mold remediation starts Monday at Fire Station 5 in Chico

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Chico firefighters Mike Velazquez (left) and Brandon Zaring stand inside of a trailer being set up as a temporary facility outside of Chico Fire Station 5 on Friday.(Bill Husa/Staff Photo)

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ServiceMaster out of Redding is expected to begin work Monday to tear into the walls in several places mold was identified earlier this year. Depending on what crews find, the work could wrap up within the week or may take longer.

Public Works Director Ruben Martinez is hoping the damage is minimal.

"Our 2009 estimate was trying to fix everything at once and it was $650,000-plus," Martinez said. "If we can stay out of that, we'd be very happy, but we also recognize we need to be very safe as well."

The City Council voted Nov. 20 to appropriate $25,000 in funding to pay for the initial remediation work.

Despite concerns that insurance may not cover the work which the city manager said appears will be the case and that opening the walls potentially puts the city at risk of costly repairs, the sentiment was that it would be better to address the mold than wait any longer.

The contract with Service Masters is for $12,000, but if it exceeds $25,000, any additional expense will have to return to the City Council for approval.

Because of the risk that the mold will become airborne once remediation begins, the city determined firefighters who occupy Fire Station 5 could not continue to be housed inside. The trailer arrived about a week ago and crews were busy getting it set up last week, with a kitchen, beds and bathroom.

"It's a good solution, it's a safe solution for them and it keeps them near their own location," Martinez said. "We'll have to see how it goes."

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Mold remediation starts Monday at Fire Station 5 in Chico