Old Capitol Museum looking at $40,000 to remove mold

Mold found in the Old Capitol Museum on State Street will cost thousands of dollars to repair but will not delay the facility’s reopening, state officials said today.

Experts recently found “low spore levels of mold” in a small section of the building, said Kym Wiggins, a spokeswoman for the Department of Finance and Administration. The agency is managing repairs and renovations to the facility damaged by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

The mold is “isolated to a small section of the building,” she said. No toxic mold was found.

Work to correct the problem is expected to be finished next week. It cost less than $40,000 and the project remains on schedule, Wiggins said.

The building is scheduled to reopen for state lawmakers to reconvene the next legislative session in January 2009. They will then move to the new Capitol nearby to finish the session.

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