Museum mold mitigation continues
DEVIN WEEKS | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 8 months AGO
A truck with mold-tainted items is seen Thursday in front of the Post Falls Museum, where crews are working to mitigate a mold outbreak in the basement. If all goes well, the museum, which has been closed all season, could open to the public later this month.
Photo by JOE BUTLER/Post Falls Historical Society
Mold spores are recently seen on shelving in the Post Falls Museum basement, which is presently undergoing mold mitigation work.
The Post Falls Museum is undergoing mitigation work for basement mold that has kept the building closed this season. The museum could open mid-September if the cleaning is complete by then.
Devin Weeks is a third-generation North Idaho resident. She holds an associate degree in journalism from North Idaho College and a bachelor's in communication arts from Lewis-Clark State College Coeur d'Alene. Devin embarked on her journalism career at the Coeur d'Alene Press in 2013. She worked weekends for several years, covering a wide variety of events and issues throughout Kootenai County. Devin now mainly covers K-12 education and the city of Post Falls. She enjoys delivering daily chuckles through the Ghastly Groaner and loves highlighting local people in the Fast Five segment that runs in CoeurVoice. Devin lives in Post Falls with her husband and their three eccentric and very needy cats. | September 2, 2023 1:00 AM
POST FALLS — Work is continuing at the Post Falls Museum, where crews are mitigating a mold outbreak that was discovered in the basement this spring.
"It's always been damp down there because of the way the foundation was built and the way the water line was put into the foundation, the old window wells leaking," Post Falls Historical Society treasurer Cindy Mead said Friday. "This spring, everything bloomed and took over."
Workers from Burke's Restoration have been on site since Tuesday. Mead said they should be done by the middle of next week.
The museum, which has been closed all season because of the mold, is usually open mid-May to the end of October.
“If we can get enough people to help clean, after the company is done, I’m hoping we can open maybe on (Sept.) 14th or 15th, or that weekend maybe be open, but that’s a guess at this point," Mead said.
Old particle board shelving has to be removed, sheetrock has to be taken off and certain areas need to be sealed, Mead said.
"We thought we were just going to have to trash everything except some glass, some Oktoberfest mugs and commemorative plates," she said. "We came across quite a few things I’d like to save or at least photograph before they take them to the dump."
The nonprofit Post Falls Museum and historical society are housed in the 100-year-old Chapin Building at 101 E. Fourth Ave., which is owned by the city of Post Falls. The historical society is working with the city on the mold issue, as well as the need for a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. Mead said the society will be submitting budget information to the city by Sept. 12 for the Post Falls City Council meeting Sept. 19.
Volunteers are needed to help with cleaning. The historical society is also in need of board members and volunteers who can help scan photographs and conduct other museum work.
The next meeting of the Post Falls Historical Society is 6 p.m. Sept. 20. It will be at the museum, if it is open, or at Pleasantview School, 18724 W. Riverview Drive, Post Falls, if the museum is not yet open to the public.
Email pfhistorical@roadrunner.com or visit Post Falls Historical Society and Museum on Facebook for details.
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