Nantucket Police Department Dorms Closed By Town After Mold Complaint, Health Code Violations
Jason Graziadei •
Mold and other problems at the Nantucket Police Department's LORAN barracks in 'Sconset, where it provides housing to its Community Service Officers, prompted the department to repeatedly move those staff members over the summer. Now, the Nantucket Health Department has closed both dormitories following an inspection that revealed several violations. The issues have arisen despite a taxpayer-funded $4.5 million renovation and repair project that was recently completed.
The former Coast Guard facility off Low Beach Road in 'Sconset, which was part of the now decommissioned World War II-era LORAN (long-range navigation) station, has been used by the town since 1985. For years, the Nantucket Police Department's Community Service Officers, or CSOs - typically college-aged individuals looking to get their start in criminal justice careers who serve as the eyes and ears of the police department during the summer - have been housed at the LORAN barracks, or dormitories.
But the Nantucket Health Department recently responded to a complaint regarding excessive mold and water damage at the LORAN dormitories. The inspection, completed on Sept. 10, "revealed violations of 105 CMR 410.000 Minimum Standards of Fitness for Human Habitation (State Sanitary Code, Chapter II)," according to a report obtained by the Current.
The "order to correct" issued to the town by John Hedden, the Health Department's chief environmental health officer, stated that "failure to comply within the allotted time period may result in a criminal complaint against you. Violations identified as CDE are Conditions Deemed to Endanger or Impair the Health or Safety of the occupants..."
The mold problem was brought to the attention of the Nantucket Police Department's administration over the summer. A source at the department told the Current that several CSOs believe they became sickened due to the mold, and some of them began referring to the condition as the "LORAN flu."
"Our female CSOs were relocated into the male dormitory building after it was reported there was mold in the building and a possible problem with the HVAC system," Nantucket Police Department Lt. Angus MacVicar wrote in an email response to the Current's questions about the situation. "It was determined by the HVAC company that the system had been turned off and was the cause of the mold. The entire dormitory has been thoroughly cleaned at this point."
The move of the female CSOs into the male dormitory occurred on August 11th. But less than a month later, the mold issue reared its head again, MacVicar confirmed, prompting the department to move the remaining CSO staff members living there to the town's recently-completed lifeguard dormitory on Waitt Drive. This move is believed to have occurred on Sept. 8.
"All remaining CSOs and a department dispatcher were relocated into the Waitt Drive lifeguard housing after the male dormitory building was reported to have mold in one of the rooms," MacVicar stated. "Several issues are being addressed with the situations in this building."
A resident of the dormitories who lived there this summer and asked to remain anonymous provided these photos to the Current, which show mold growing on clothes and other items inside the dorms:
While the mold issue reached critical mass over the summer, the problems at the LORAN dormitories have been evident for years. An engineering report in 2021 revealed failed underground sewer piping, significant amounts of hazardous materials like asbestos and lead paint, along with cracks in the concrete block exterior. In response, the town sponsored a debt exclusion override proposal to allocate $4.5 million to cover the costs of interior and exterior repairs, the mitigation of hazardous materials, the removal of the septic system, and a connection to the town's sewer system.
The warrant article was approved by Town Meeting voters and passed on a subsequent ballot vote, and the work began later that year. Contractors completed numerous repairs at both dorms, including removal of asbestos floor tiles, window and door replacements, a roof replacement, and kitchen renovations.
Despite those improvements, when the Health Department inspected the building earlier this month, it still found numerous violations, including:
- Non-working bathroom fans
- Cracked and missing bathroom tiles
- Non-compliant shower heads
- Missing window screens
- Defective ceiling tiles
- Missing kitchen floor tiles
MacVicar said those issues were not related to the repair project, and he blamed the mold or mildew issue on the CSOs turning off the HVAC system and opening their windows.
"The August issues cited are not directly related to any of the improvements," MacVicar stated. "It was thought that the mildew problem in the girls’ dorm was the result of a faulty installation of the new HVAC heat pumps. Upon an investigation by the HVAC contractor, it was determined that the dorm room occupants had turned off the system and opened their windows. The building is constructed with concrete block and its location is only several hundred feet from the ocean. The air is very damp and the room occupants allowing the damp air into their room through open windows caused the mildew problem. The HVAC contractor adjusted the system which will prevent users from completely turning it off and future occupants will be instructed to keep the windows closed.
"The most recent issue reported in the men's dorm is not related at all to any improvements," he continued. "This building is similar to the women’s dorm in that it is constructed with concrete block and its location is only several hundred feet from the ocean. There is no central air conditioning system and the damp air can cause mildew. Individual room occupants have installed stand-alone dehumidifiers or a/c units in their spaces to keep it dry. If they allow the damp air to circulate in their rooms by leaving doors and windows open, mildew can occur if left unchecked."
While the town told voters in 2022 that the $4.5 million would be used in part to remove the LORAN dormitories' septic system and connect the property to the town sewer system, that never happened.
"There were insufficient funds to complete the connection to town sewer and currently the facilities' existing septic system remains in use," MacVicar stated.
The Police Department has been pumping the tank "about twice a month" during the summer, MacVicar confirmed. Despite the failed underground piping noted in the 2021 engineering report, frequent pump outs, and an inoperative lift pump, he disputed the suggestion that the septic system was in failure.
"(The) Septic system is not failed," he stated. "There is a lift pump that is currently inoperative. A contractor has already been hired to determine the source of the pump failure. Because the pump was initially installed in a narrow pump chamber, the top of that chamber must be excavated to gain access. Because this failed in the middle of the summer, it was determined that it would be better to do it in September when the facility was empty."
According to Massachusetts' laws regarding septic systems, any septic tank or cesspool that requires pumping more than four times a year is considered to be in failure and must be upgraded.
Asked who is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of these LORAN buildings, MacVicar stated: "The police department oversees the upkeep and maintenance of the LORAN buildings."
