All the carpets are being cleaned, the superintendent said.
PALMER - Superintendent Thomas A. Charko said mold cleanup at Old Mill Pond School should be completed by Friday.
Thomas Charko Charko said carpets in all classrooms are being cleaned after spots of white mold were found on carpets by a custodian.
He said the problem was caused when employees left at the end of the school year and pulled the blinds down, creating a dark environment.
Paired with the high humidity, mold grew, he said. The problem was mainly in classrooms for younger pupils, where food on the carpet turned moldy, Charko said.
"The cleaning process is taking care of the mold," Charko said on Tuesday.
The air quality will be tested next week, he said. The start of school is Aug. 28, with a staff orientation scheduled for the day before. The town recreation program was moved to the high school because Charko said it was considered too unhealthy for the children to be in the elementary school during the cleaning.
The cleanup was covered under the town's insurance, Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association. Charko estimated the cost was just under $20,000. Servpro was hired to do the work, according to executive assistant Andrew M. Golas. Work has been under way for several weeks.
"It was definitely a pretty bad infestation," Golas said, adding Servpro is "doing a full mold treatment" on the carpets.