RALEIGH, N.C. - Mike Easley is leaving the governor's mansion.
 
Persistent problems with mold are driving the state's chief executive and his wife, Mary Easley, out of their 114-year-old official home while repairs are made.
 
"They didn't say I had to move. They just said they were moving out all the furniture, cutting off the water and the electricity, and bringing in the jackhammers," Easley told the Winston-Salem Journal this week.
 
The Easleys haven't left the building just yet. His security detail still is studying potential temporary residences among other state-owned housing, Easley said.
 
Mold spores can cause allergic reactions, including runny noses, sneezing, red eyes and skin rash.
 
A Web site of the N.C. Office of Archives and History describes the 1891 mansion as "one of the state's finest examples of the Queen Anne style of Victorian architecture." But, like many old houses and some new ones, it has had a continuing problem with mold.
 
State officials spent more than two months repairing the house's ventilation system before the governor, his wife and their son moved into the mansion in 2001. Workers tried to kill mold spores they found at the time and cover it with a sealant.
 
"It worked temporarily, but it came back, like mold will do," spokeswoman Cari Boyce said.
 
Robert Herrick, an environmental engineer from Cary, inspected the house July 18 and found active mold growth in the air ducts.
 
Condensed water was dripping from water lines running to air conditioning units in the basement and attic. Herrick also found "a persistent leak" in the attic, and a wet spot in the floor above the second-floor Rose Room that he blamed on water dripping from cold-water pipes.
 
Secretary of Administration Gwynn Swinson ordered the State Construction Office to make emergency repairs. Rep. Deborah Ross, D-Wake, said about $5 million from the sale of nearby state-owned homes will help pay for renovations.
 
The problem affects more than just the Easleys' comfort. The building is used for meetings and other government functions.
 
Sen. David Hoyle, D-Gaston, said Easley told legislators during a recent meeting: "This place is falling down. ... If you put your hand on the wall, be careful - you might fall through."
 
Easley said that the air in the house has worsened gradually. At a meeting with Wake County legislators two weeks ago, one member "was coughing and wheezing and sneezing."
 

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