Southern Maine Community College has reopened Spring Point Residence Hall after the building was given a clean bill of health.
Students moved into the residence hall on SMCC’s South Portland Campus over the weekend three weeks after they were temporarily assigned to live in hotels for the start of the semester following the discovery of mold. SMCC originally estimated that students would be in hotels for three to four weeks.
“We are pleased that the work on Spring Point Hall has been completed on the short end of our time estimate, and that our students are back in their residence hall in a healthy environment,” said SMCC President Joe Cassidy. “Our top priority is the health and safety of our students, and I credit our staff and the clean-up crews with doing a tremendous job in getting the residence hall back in shape in such a short period. I also give credit to our students for their understanding and patience.”
A problem with the HVAC system combined with high temperatures and humidity in August resulted in condensation forming above the building’s ceiling tiles and mold to form. Students arriving for the Fall Semester were temporarily assigned to live in area hotels located on bus routes leading to SMCC.
Workers with a water cleanup and restoration company thoroughly cleaned the building, and independent testing shows the building is 100 percent safe.