First Selectman Gordon Joseloff has announced the appointment of a special committee to review mold and other air quality issues at King’s Highway Elementary School. 

The Special King’s Highway Elementary School Maintenance Review Committee will be headed by R. Gavin S. Anderson, chair of the First Selectman’s Maintenance Committee and a former member of the Board of Finance. 

It will include Selectman Shelly Kassen, representatives from the Maintenance Committee, the Westport School District, the Westport Weston Health District, the town’s Building and Public Works Departments, King’s Highway parents, and consultant Gil Cormier of New Britain-based Occupational Risk Control Services, Inc. 

“As promised at last week’s Town Hall meeting on this issue, I am naming a committee to take steps to help ensure that students and teachers can return to school next month with the confidence that it is environmentally safe,” said Joseloff. He will be an ex-officio member of the committee. 

Joseloff outlined the following charge to the committee:

1. Evaluate the school’s present conditions related to air quality and other matters, including potential health risks, using past data currently available as well as results of any additional assessments the committee deems necessary.  

2. Determine corrective action that may be required, and the time needed for such measures to be effective.

3. Recommend to the First Selectman, the Board of Education, and the Superintendent of Schools, steps that will ensure the opening of the school by the planned date of Aug. 27, 2007, in an environmentally safe and healthy condition.

4. Keep the parties mentioned in [3] above fully informed of progress and, in a punctual manner, of any results or determinations that might affect the planned school opening date. 

5, Report in writing full details of work performed, results, findings and conclusions, together with plans for immediate short and longer term remedies, including recommended practices to prevent recurrence of any health safety issues identified. 

The First Selectman expressed appreciation for the cooperation of Superintendent of Schools Elliott Landon and Assistant Superintendent Nancy Harris, who is a member of the new committee, in facilitating the committee’s work. 

“Everyone is seeking the same thing—to make sure that any problems that may exist are addressed promptly so the school can reopen in an environmentally safe manner,” Joseloff said. 

He said prior to today’s appointment of the committee, some members met informally and toured areas of the school.  

In accordance with state Freedom of Information Act requirements, all committee meetings will be formally noticed in advance, Joseloff said, and will be open to the public. 

He said all public communications about the committee’s work will come from its chairman.