MINOT – At a rare 7 a.m. meeting, the School Committee Tuesday authorized spending up to $14,000 to address mold and asbestos problems that appeared last week.

“We cleaned the carpets in seven classrooms on July 22. They did not dry properly over the weekend and the carpet in three rooms showed visible signs of mold on Monday, July 26,” said Gordon Murray, Union 29’s director of operations.

Murray said Mark Lippke, head custodian at the Minot Consolidated School, notified him immediately and took steps to isolate and secure the affected areas.

“I want you to know that no laws have been broken, that best practices are being followed and that we’re putting the concerns of staff and kids first,” Murray said.

The mold in Room 140, Suzanne Madden’s room, presents a special problem, Murray noted, in that the carpet in the room is adhered to asbestos tile.

“The carpet and glue cannot be removed without damaging the tile and releasing asbestos fibers,” Murray said.

Repair costs for the room will run close to $5,000, according to Murray.

The adjoining fourth- and fifth-grade rooms with visible mold have concrete under the carpet. Murray recommended that they be steam-cleaned and be removed by the school’s regular custodial staff.

It was also recommended that the remaining four rooms that were cleaned at the same time and under the same conditions should be steam-cleaned.

Murray said estimates for steam cleaning are a little over $1,400.

Carpeting in the three rooms with mold will be replaced by vinyl tile. The exact cost is unknown.

School Committee Chairman Colleen Quint praised Murray for his quick and appropriate response to the problems and asked whether there would be any further testing of the affected rooms.

Assistant Superintendent Bill Doughty said he would recommend the rooms be retested after the work is complete.

In the vote to approve Murray’s plan, the School Committee stipulated a test be performed after work is completed.

On the question of where the money to pay for mold and asbestos abatement would come from, the School Committee noted that this year’s actual cost for insurance came in $7,500 below the amount budgeted, and recommended that that amount be used.

The School Committee also asked finance director Stacie Everett to look into funding options for the remainder.

Murray said that if all goes well, the work will be completed in time for the opening of the school.

“It will limit access to that wing for a while and mean the teachers can’t come in two weeks early to put their rooms in order; it will be inconvenient for some,” Murray said.