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Mold, Mildew Tied To Lack Of Air Flow

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By JOHN W. ALLMAN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 20, 2007

TAMPA - River Pines Apartments has a lot of problems that need to be fixed, Tampa Housing Authority officials say.

Pervasive mold and mildew isn't one of them now, but it could be if the apartment complex doesn't address the need for better ventilation soon.

The retirement property in northeast Tampa, along the Hillsborough River, received a second full inspection of all 300 units by early August, after an outburst by a former tenant about residents living with walls blackened by mold.

The inspection results were disclosed Wednesday at the authority's monthly meeting. The authority owns the property, but contracts day-to-day management to Rath Harper and Associates, a private property management company headed by Fred Rath, a former housing commissioner.

The property has drawn scrutiny since April when tenants complained to The Tampa Tribune about several issues, including mold and poor treatment by Rath's staff. In May, his company found that nearly half the apartments needed repair, including 40 with mold.

Leroy Moore, senior vice president and chief operating officer, said housing officials, in their own inspection, found 35 apartments with mold and/or mildew. Of those, 22 cases were attributed to housekeeping and 13 to poor maintenance.

The housekeeping issues were typically in the bathrooms, Moore said, and property managers were directed to assist elderly residents with cleaning to remove the mold.

'We've got to figure out a way to get relatives to come in ... and help clean the place up,' said Jerome Ryans, housing president.

The maintenance cases, according to Moore, included wall and ceiling mold and window condensation.

'I don't want to leave you with the impression this is one of our greatest properties,' Moore said, citing 'a lot of system problems.' Each River Pines apartment is cooled by a single air-conditioning unit, typically in the front room.

'We'd like to look at a system to ventilate the whole unit instead of just one room,' he said.

Rath said that in addition to annual inspections, managers will check the units more regularly.

Neither Rath nor his spokeswoman responded to an e-mail request for comment after the meeting.

Moore, after the meeting, said the authority studied one building in particular to try to understand what is contributing to the mold. Housing officials performed myriad tests on units at Building O.

They found that 11 of 18 units inspected did not have the air running, and that the temperature, humidity and moisture levels in those units were higher than in units with air flow. Inspection results show the temperature inside units with no air flow was above 80 degrees in all but one. Moisture levels, as well, were documented as high as 30 percent in some units.

Reporter John W. Allman can be reached at (813) 259-7915 or jallman@tampatrib.com.

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