A mold cleanup at the Bibb County traffic center may take much longer than originally expected - perhaps up to six months, county officials said.
 
The center, completed in 2002, has been plagued by mold problems behind the wallpaper. Traffic center officials have said the mold, which left a black, blossoming residue on large portions of some walls, likely was caused by condensation.
 
State and city/county employees were relocated from the traffic center in mid-November for what was originally estimated to be a weeks-long period.
 
"I guess we didn't have enough information to know how long it was going to be," said Steve Layson, Bibb County chief administrative officer.
 
Originally, the county planned to simply strip the wallpaper and then seal the mold residue with a special type of paint. However, a contractor who eyeballed the job suggested the wall might have to be replaced, Layson said.
 
At that point, the county hired a Marietta science-based firm called Air Quality Services to identify the type of mold involved, test the air for mold spores and eventually determine what caused the problem and how best to clean it up. Layson said he expects a report from the contractor by the second week in January.
 
Co-funded city/county employees have been working in the county's engineering annex building around the corner, while state Department of Transportation employees were relocated to an old mobile office at Interstate 475.
 
Bill Wikle, head traffic engineer, said no employees have complained of any health problems related to the mold.
 
However, the move out of the traffic center does interfere with their productivity. "Without access to the cameras and equipment, it makes it more difficult to do our job," Wikle said.
 
The traffic center features a wall of video and computer mapping screens that allows technicians to monitor traffic flow downtown and on nearby interstates, spotting accidents and adjusting stoplight timing to improve traffic flow.
 
It remains unclear if the mold was caused by problems with the center's design, construction or heating and air-conditioning system, Layson said. The county is working closely with the construction contractor and architect, he said.
 
The traffic management center cost the county $3.5 million for the facility and equipment, funded through the city-county roads program's 1-cent sales tax.
 
After a report of mold problems in the main day-care center run by the Macon-Bibb County Department of Family and Children Services, DFACS Director Marjorie Almand said she was unaware of any mold there. She said she thought past problems with standing water beneath the building had been corrected.
 
But after a Telegraph inquiry, Almand contacted several private contractors, the Macon-Bibb County Health Department and Macon's department of inspections and fees, trying to find someone to inspect for mold.
 
"We're going to get it checked as soon as we can," Almand said. "I take it very seriously."
The Bibb County Board of Education, which runs a teen program in the same building, installed a drainage system beneath the building last year, said Len Hindsman, assistant superintendent for operations.
 
As a mobile unit, the building stands two or three feet off the ground, so the water beneath it was not actually inside, and he has not heard of any mold problems, he said.
 
"Real mold problems are very few and far between," said Hindsman, who has a biology background.
 

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