NORTH CANAAN — A resident of the Wangum Village is in a dispute with the low-income housing complex’s management over apparent mold in his apartment.
James Gallant, a 62-year-old who said he suffers from neurological issues and diabetes, claims his heat pump, which provides heat, air conditioning and works as a dehumidifier, broke in February 2021, and wasn’t replaced until December.
“I was in [the management office] once a week or every other week,” Gallant said. “They said we’ll get a tech and have them come over. The tech showed up and they couldn’t figure out the problem. A part came and it didn’t work.”
Without a heat pump during last spring and summer, Gallant said he started seeing mold on his furniture and clothing as temperatures rose and rainfall increased.
“Meanwhile, my furniture … we had a bad summer last year where there was humidity and rain,” Gallant said. “My bed is not usable. I’ve been sleeping on a couch that’s killing me. I’ve got a recliner that’s got mold on it. I’ve got clothes and stuff like that that are loaded with mold.”
Gallant claims it took months before workers determined the heat pump couldn’t be fixed and needed to be replaced.
“It was five months before the guys came in here and they said it’s on its last legs,” Gallant said.
North Canaan First Selectman Charles Perotti said the town does not oversee the operations of the North Canaan Housing Authority, which owns and manages Wangum Village, a 40-unit low-income housing complex for older adults and those who are disabled.
Perotti said once the town established the housing authority using Department of Housing and Urban Development funds, it became its own entity, and is managed by an executive director and a board of volunteers.
Ashleigh Bergenty, executive director of the North Canaan Housing Authority, declined to comment about Gallant’s situation when reached by Hearst Connecticut Media Group.
“Unfortunately, I am not permitted to discuss anything pertaining to our residents with anyone,” Bergenty said.
A report filed by Julie Prue, of the Torrington Area Health District, said she contacted Bergenty on Nov. 23, 2021 about the status of the unit.
“She explained that the unit was repaired a couple times and at one point it took a while to fix because they could not get a part, however, they were never informed that it needed to be replaced until recently,” according to the report, which Hearst Connecticut Media Group received from Gallant.
“In the meantime, Ashleigh gave to the complainant a dehumidifier to be used in his apartment, but this wasn’t until October, when it was determined that the whole unit needed to be replaced.”
It appears Gallant is the only person to have reported mold issues at Wangum Village.
“Currently, there is an ongoing complaint regarding mold that the managers of the facility are working to abate,” said Thomas Stansfield, deputy director of health for the Torrington Area Health District. “We have not issued any legal orders or other enforcement actions but have acted as a resource for both the tenant and the housing authority. We do not have any other open actions for that property at this time.”
Since the problem started, Gallant claims he’s been experiencing more headaches and has had trouble breathing. He said he took an allergen test last month, and tested positive for a mold called cephalosporium acremonium. A note from his doctor he received in January suggests the presence of the mold could be causing his issues.
“He will continue to have these health issues as long as he is exposed to this ongoing mold,” according to the doctor’s note, which Gallant provided to Hearst Connecticut Media.
“It is recommended that the mold exposure needs to be remediated or he should be removed from these conditions for the good of his health.”
Bergenty ordered an air test for mold that was conducted by the company Envirocheck on Dec. 2, documents show.
“Envirocheck finds that the tested areas in the bedroom and living room of the subject property appear to exhibit an abnormal and above background total airborne fungal spore presence,” according to the company’s report that Gallant provided to Hearst Connecticut Media.
The report stated the amount of spores detected in the bedroom and living room were higher than what they found outside his home.
“The non-viable air monitoring results indicate that total ambient indoor levels of spores in the bedroom and living room are higher than the outdoor airborne levels,” the report said. “Ambient indoor air samples are typically similar or lower in concentration than outdoor negative control air samples.”
The report also acknowledged the visual presence of mold.
“Evidence of a white and black suspect fungal presence on contents, including but not limited to footwear and furniture,” the report said.
The report also recommended a remediation strategy, saying, “the following detailed scope of work is a strategy towards remediation, consisting of the disposal of affected building materials and meticulous cleaning and scrubbing, followed by post remediation verification and testing to permit further abatement and/or restoration work.”
Prue again contacted Bergenty on Dec. 21, according to her report. Bergenty told Prue that the board approved replacing the broken heat pump and a company provided an estimate to clean the apartment, the documents state.
“However, before that could be approved, they needed an insurance adjuster to come out, a certified mold inspector, a professional cleaning company for quotes, and a structural engineer to be sure the mold wasn’t being caused by a leaking issue in the roof or structure, which is the proper procedure,” Prue’s report said.
Gallant said he declined having his apartment cleaned when it was first offered in December because he said it would mean getting rid of all of his furniture, which he cannot afford to replace.
He’s also worried about medical bills that could arise from his exposure to the mold and his inability to afford legal counsel should he need it.
“I’m losing everything here,” Gallant said. “If they come in and clean, I can’t bring the stuff back in. I’m going to lose my bed, my couch, my ottoman, my rocking chair and all my stuff. I can’t afford to go out and buy brand new furniture. I just want my furniture replaced. I’ll need help on my medical bills and prescriptions. I hate starting from scratch when I don’t have the finances to do that.”
And while a new heat pump has been installed, Gallant said he can’t use it because the mold presence still exists. He does have access to heat through a baseboard heating method.
“I called Ashleigh and she explained that the new unit was approved and installed, but they were unable to turn it on because of the standing possibility of mold spores present in the apartment,” Prue’s report said.
On Feb. 8, Prue visited Gallant’s apartment, and according to her report, she “did confirm there was some possible mold on a chair, a pair of boots, on the wooden surface of the bottom of his box spring, which was flipped up against the wall, and possible mold on the bottom of an ottoman.”
On Feb. 10, Prue again spoke with Bergenty, who said they were waiting for a report from the structural engineer and “they would be moving forward with the clean-up plan, once they got word back from the insurance company,” the documents stated.
Gallant said he plans to request the housing authority to pay for the cost of replacing his furniture and some of his clothing that has been damaged.
“Mostly it’s the health issues,” Gallant said. “That’s not something I was looking forward to by any means. I’m not out trying to get rich or anything, I’m just trying to get my life back to normal.”
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