The Westbrook Performing Arts Center will be closed for the next few months as crews work to remediate a surface mold problem.
Westbrook Superintendent Peter Lancia says the issue was discovered during a routine maintenance check.
Part of the problem, he said, is that the space is large and has a variety of surfaces such as curtains, seats and other areas that need to be cleaned.
“Through our regular maintenance, test[ing] air throughout the middle school, most of it we can handle, but because of the size of the theater it’s a much bigger project,” Lancia said.
Lancia said remediation could cost somewhere in the six-figures.
Workers determined that the mold is not airborne and was confined to the performing arts center and not found in the adjoining middle school.
The Talbot Community School in Portland was closed briefly after mold was found in more than a dozen classrooms in mid-August. The school has been cleared to start classes on Friday.
