Campus Health & Safety Updates
Newtown Campus – Grupp Hall and Founders Hall
Executive Summary of the Results of the Indoor Air Sampling of Grupp Hall and Founders Hall, Newtown, PA
Conducted by Remington & Vernick Engineers
Nineteen different contaminants were tested within three different environments:
- Carbon Monoxide
- Carbon Dioxide
- Oxygen
- VOC's
- Hyrdogen Sulfide
- Nitrogen Oxides
- TCE
- Lead
- Legionella
- TCE (in air and carpet glue)
- PFAS
- Atrazine
- Mold (in air and on surface)
- Bacteria
- Phthalates
- PFAS
- Radon
Remington & Vernick Engineers Recommendations
- Areas of mold and bacteria be professional cleaned and sanitized.
- Signs should be added to sinks not frequently in use that the water should run for at least 30 seconds prior to use.
- Install door vents on offices with elevated radon levels.
- A campus cleaning and maintenance plan should be updated or developed to include updating cleaning regimens.
- Replace carpet in Grupp Hall.
- Resample specific areas of concern.
- If elevated conditions continue, explore remediation options including venting systems (radon), reverse osmosis filtration (lead), water treatment system (legionella), HVAC upgrades or modifications (carbon dioxide, radon, mold), etc.
Remediation
The College has reviewed all the recommendations by Remington & Vernick and, out of an abundance of caution, the College’s remediation plans will meet, and in many cases, exceed those recommendations. This plan comes from the College’s commitment to ensuring the safety and comfort of all members of the college community. The College’s remediation plan includes a thorough professional cleaning of both Founders and Grupp Halls, replacement of carpets in Grupp Hall, advisory signage on water sources, installation of door vents in certain offices, and the closure of certain spaces in Grupp Hall to facilitate the remediation work. Remediation efforts are underway now. Most will be complete by the start of classes but certain longer-term projects like carpet replacement in Grupp Hall are expected to be complete by the beginning of the spring term.
Read more about the Proposed Action Plan.
COVID-19 Update
The College is no longer collecting information on positive COVID-19 cases for staff, students, and faculty. Anyone who tests positive or believes they have been exposed can look at the CDC guidelines. Standard precautions are to isolate if testing positive for COVID-19 (5 days from the onset of symptoms or the positive test, whichever is earliest) and then masking in public for an additional 5 days. We do still recommend staying away from campus if you are sick. The Health Sciences department still has a supply of KN95 masks if anyone would like one. Please stop by Founders 112 on the Newtown campus to pick up masks. The Office of Security & Safety has a limited number of COVID tests available if needed.