The Unitarian Church has taken many steps to reduce/avoid mold issues in our building:

— We have a state of the art air filtration system that was installed last year (prompted by Covid) that continually brings fresh air into the building and exhausts the “stale” air to the outside. 

— Our building is heated by baseboard, not forced hot air, and the furnace was already above flood level. 

— We were able to pump the water out of our basement immediately following the flood. We power washed the basement multiple times, followed by application of vinegar to retard mold growth. We started running industrial dehumidifiers within 4 days after the flood and left them running for 5 weeks. We hired a contractor in August to further clean and treat the basement with an anti-mold product. We continue to run dehumidifiers in the basement to keep the humidity level low enough to be unfavorable for mold growth.

— On the first floor (Vestry level) we only had one to two inches of water, and the Vestry floor was not fully submerged. The floors were cleaned multiple times (including with vinegar and hydrogen peroxide), then buffed and refinished with three coats of VT Natural Coatings non-toxic floor finish. 

— Area rugs and mats that went through the flood were discarded. Carpets and furniture within the building that were not touched by flood waters are being steam cleaned this week.

We have been very cautious about protecting the building and visitors’ health and welcome church members and visitors back to our building upon reopening.

Please feel free to direct any specific questions to Emily Seifert, Office Assistant/Rental Coordinator.