A  TV 10 undercover investigation has revealed a black mold outburst inside a Louisiana's Fort Polk in Leesville housing thousands of enlisted soldiers and potentially harmful black mold.

When TV 10 showed Colonel David Sage our hidden camera footage of barracks 2043 he was not surprised by what he saw. Mold has been an enemy inside the walls of Fort Polk for years.

Col. Sage says those barracks have not yet been renovated, but work has begun for others.

20 of the 34 barracks on the base were overhauled, all within the last few years. Five more will be complete by the end of this year.

Revamped living quarters look much cleaner. A new air circulation system alleviates moisture to prevent black mold outbursts those found in barracks 2043.

Renovations help place Fort Polk above most army code requirements, but keeping a building in shape is a constant battle.

To really wipe away the mold problem all of the ventilation systems on base must be replaced, a 27 million dollar project.

Several buildings still have asbestos in the walls with removal costs at half a million dollars per barracks. Even though the army has paid out tens of millions of dollars to the base, it's simply not enough to repair everything.

Colonel Sage says he will find a clean room for any soldier who reports a problem through the proper chain of command.

The solider featured in our hidden camera footage went to his NCO to talk about the moisture problem in his room.

Since we spoke he's been moved into a new room, one without a black mold problem.

http://www.klfy.com/Global/story.asp?S=6394043

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