ASHFIELD – The city is working to contain the recurrence of a mold infestation in the basement of City Hall caused by moisture accumulation, flooding and heavy rains.

Although the problem has been particularly problematic over the past three years, mold has always been a problem, according to City Manager Paul McLatchy III, who explained that moisture issues and water damage have occurred in the basement.

“Last summer we had problems again because of the flooding and rain,” McLatchy said. “We had mold and flooding in the basement.”

The basement of the town hall is not yet completely finished, with a large part of the floor being dirt covered with a tarp. McLatchy explained that this makes the basement more vulnerable to water intrusion as water seeps through the soil. It also limits access to the basement.

City Manager Mary Quigley has been leading the mold remediation effort. Two dehumidifiers have been installed to reduce moisture, and the city plans to install a sump pump to drain water from the basement, which was the primary cause of the excess moisture and mold. The sump pump will have pipes that will redirect water out of the building. Quigley and the Selectboard expect the sump pump installation to be completed in fiscal year 2025.

“We try not to use it for storage because it’s not a finished basement and it can flood,” McLatchy noted. “Unfortunately, it’s also a lot of unused space, so we’d like to store things there.”

Although there are no official documents in the basement that could be damaged by mold, McLatchy mentioned that there is wiring that could be affected if mold and moisture worsen. He emphasized that the city wants to have the sump pump installed soon to prevent further mold growth.

The city will discuss when the best time is to undertake more extensive construction in the future, which could potentially include installing pipes to drain water from the basement and building trenches to divert water on the ground floor away from City Hall.