OTISFIELD — The Otisfield Community School will undergo a major renovation project this summer to remove mold from inside the exterior walls.

Officials believe flower and vegetable gardens that lined the sides of the school building during the last five years caused moisture retention in the outside walls when so-called “weep holes” were blocked by dirt. Those beds were removed last summer.

Tests during the summer showed mold between the Sheetrock and the exterior walls. School officials have been working with the Bureau of General Services, which is a branch of the state Department of Administrative and Financial Services, to resolve it.

Superintendent Rick Colpitts said the project includes ripping out all Sheetrock, insulation and sheathing on the perimeter walls, replacing all rusted metal studs, spraying on foam insulation and installing new Sheetrock. In addition, all exterior windows and window seals will be replaced due to leaks, he said.

The Oxford Hills School District Board of Directors awarded the contract to Ganneston Construction of Augusta, which bid $818,089. Voters will be asked to approve financing at a referendum in June.

The work is slated to start in June and end by the first of August.

Officials have stressed that ongoing air quality testing shows the inside air is actually better than the air outside he school. Because the mold is contained inside the wall, it is not a threat to people, Facilities Director David Marshall said.

Another test will be done in April, he said.

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