The Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center is the latest Pitt-Johnstown building to be hit with a mold infestation, causing Theatre Department faculty to throw out dozens stage furniture pieces.

Theater professor John Teacher first noticed the mold Aug. 28, about two weeks after mold was first noticed in the Living/Learning Center.

After pulling furniture, mold was noticed on everything, and everything affected by it was thrown away.  Workers with Physical Plant and Servpro Restoration Services of Gallatin, Tennessee responded immediately.

The center was fogged the same weekend as the Living/Learning Center, but as of two weeks ago, dehumidifiers were still present.

Everything apparently was handled professionally by Pitt-Johnstown and Physical Plant workers, and according to center Executive Director Michael Bodolosky, there was no lasting damage to the building or auditorium seats.

It is nice to see Pitt-Johnstown administrators handling the situation well, much better than they handled the mold in the Living/Learning Center, which was amateurly cleaned and not given much thought until it reappeared when students moved in, damaging their property.

Many theater furniture pieces that were thrown out had not been used in several shows, but Theatre Department faculty will still have to rebuild and replace many pieces.

When mold was first discovered in the Living/Learning Center, administrators apparently did not know whether it was serious or not.  They may have assumed it to be harmless, not having it tested or professionally cleaned before students moved in.  Community safety should always be a priority, and we are glad that administration seems to be improving when handling mold.