Oct 13, 2016 2 min read

DONORA – The Donora Senior Center will remain closed pending the results of remediation work to remove dangerous mold that was discovered in the building in late August.

Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services will keep the building closed until its environmental assessment company inspects the building at 700 Meldon Ave. and another firm disinfects the property, said Luther Sheets, chief operating officer of the Charleroi-based SPHS. “I want to be doubly sure it’s safe,” Sheets said Wednesday.

The borough’s code enforcement officer on Aug. 30 deemed the center unsafe for human occupancy following the discovery of the mold.

Sheets said the center “didn’t miss a beat” because it moved temporarily into the borough building’s nearby social hall and lunch was served there the next day.

He said the roof leaked over the summer into the basement of the one-story senior center, creating conditions that allowed the mold to form in an area not leased by SPHS.

The landlord, Mon Valley Community Services, apparently has repaired the damages and cleaned up the mold, Sheets said. He said the center was awaiting an inspection of the building and the lifting of the order that closed it to the public.

SPHS notified the landlord immediately after the building was closed that it was withholding the $1,081 monthly rent payments until the matter was solved, Sheets said.

He said the lifting of the order is between the borough and landlord.