PARSONSFIELD, Maine — A handful of tenants in Parsonsfield are questioning mold remediation protocols after dealing with recurring issues over the past several months.
Ashley Emery is one of a handful of families who have recently been relocated and are now living in a hotel in Scarborough after finding mold inside her unit at Pinewood Apartments.
The buildings are owned by Avesta Housing, a nonprofit that also manages multiple locations and low-income apartments across Maine.
"I got my air-quality test in June of 2023 that showed mold levels high enough to be dangerous," Emery explained.
Following testing, Emery was relocated until November 2023. Then in December, Emery found mold again in her unit which was confirmed by yet another air-quality test.
"And they found high levels of Cladosporium mold in the heat pump itself and in the hallway," Emery added.
Other tenants who spoke with NEWS CENTER Maine who wished to remain anonymous claimed they had dealt with similar scenarios.
One tenant said it took over two months after reporting the mold to management, to get an air-quality test conducted and another two months before the issue was resolved.
Now, Emery and other families are awaiting word from upper management as they reside in Scarborough for the time being. However, tenants said they have not been given a timeline as to how long they will be there.
Since the mold problems began, multiple tenants said they have experienced headaches and respiratory issues, which they believe were caused by the mold. Tenants also said those symptoms have subsided since relocating to Scarborough.
"No one can help us. I want to know why. Why do I have to do this on my own?" Emery said. "Our safety is something I have to fight for, for years now. Our health, our wellbeing."
According to the Maine Indoor Air Quality Council, the best way to fully get rid of mold is to first find the source of water or condensation, which at times can be due to poor ventilation or an outside leak.
Emery said reaching out to state agencies who gave her the run-around, ultimately led to a dead end.
With very few answers and no clue when their units will be ready, Emery and other tenants said they hope to see more state-advised protocols and more funding for tenants and landlords when it comes to dealing with issues of mold.
We reached out to Avesta Housing about the mold issues at Pinewood Apartments, and received this statement:
"Since we became aware of mold concerns at Pinewood Apartments, we have taken aggressive measures to address them, up to and including temporarily relocating residents to hotels. Our top priority is the safety and comfort of our residents in their homes. We have had ongoing communications with residents, and we will continue to work diligently to take appropriate corrective measures until full remediation of each affected unit has been achieved."
We replied to inquire if Avesta Housing's management has a set protocol or timeline when dealing with mold issues, however we did not receive a reply.