New Element Of Preventive Maintenance Program Being

Looked At For Newtown Schools

By Tanjua Damon

Canaan House got the first dose of Microb Phase, a new element the school district is considering adding to its Preventive Maintenance Program, and the middle school will get its hit this weekend.

Microb Phase is a cleaning process that eliminates existing colonies of fungi, mold, and/or bacteria from building materials. It is not hazardous and does not leave any lingering odor.

The Newtown School District is considering adding the cleaning for mold, mildew, and bacteria to its Preventive Maintenance Plan. It can be applied to everything from walls to carpets to ceiling tiles to furniture.

School board members received information about Microb Phase by Superintendent John R. Reed Tuesday evening at their regular workshop meeting. The new element would be a preventive measure the district would add to its Maintenance Program.

Dr Reed told the board that this idea was not brought about by the recent news media reports indicating that many schools have poor air quality. He did question some of the information being put out in the reports.

“It raises some interesting issues. Connecticut is a very aggressive place for codes, building and fire,” he said. “They are almost always previewed in Connecticut first before going nationwide. There are differing opinions about fresh air.”

Microb Phase Laboratory sprayed Canaan House, to which the district is planning to move its offices, so the results could be seen. On Saturday the middle school will be sprayed. It will be the first school the district will pay to have treated. The middle school will be used as a test to see if the district will be willing to do other schools in the future.

“Mildew, mold, and bacteria are the biggest cause for concern,” Dr Reed said. “Microb Phase would be applied once a year. The cost is economical. We can do the entire middle school for $2,300. We would be phasing it into our Preventive Maintenance Program.”

There has not been any testing done showing a problem with mold, mildew, or bacteria in Newtown schools. Dr Reed told the board he is not aware of one and Microb Phase is not being introduced because there might be a problem. It is solely being used as a preventive program.

“Sometimes people assume you are doing this because you have a problem,” he said. “I don’t know of any problem. It’s strictly a preventative nature. We’re not doing it in response to some news story. We don’t have any big areas of mold or mildew. This is a preventive measure.”