Health Department moving out of Apalachicola offices because of mold fears

The Franklin County health department will be moving out of its Apalachicola offices as soon as possible because of issues with mold in the building. It’s believed the mold is due to too much humidity in the building caused by faulty air handlers. There are concerns that the mold could pose a health hazard; Health Department chief Wesley Tice said he has already had two workers make workman’s comp claims because of the issue. The Health Department will likely move into the old school administration building in Apalachicola on a temporary basis, though they are also looking at the old GT Com building. They may also have to move some offices to their Carrabelle location. Health officials say the move will not affect their services – they will continue to provide all of their current services during the move and while the Health Department building is in its temporary location. The question now is how temporary the new location will be. The county plans to have an engineer inspect the health department in the near future to ascertain exactly what is causing the mold problem, and then they have to deal with the issue of how to pay for any needed repairs. The county says it has about 60 thousand dollars to dedicate to the issue, the health department may also have some funds, but together they may not have enough to pay for all of the needed work. They will have a better idea of the costs and the amount of time it will take to do the repairs once the engineer has issued his report. County commission Smokey Parrish said he has already made the county’s legislative delegation aware of the issue so they can begin looking for money at the state level. Health Department officials say that people with questions or concerns can still call the main health department number at 653-2111.