All five of the Woodland Avenue homes in Wheatland have been cleaned of mold, and at least two families are back living in them.

Ron Fraley of 25 Woodland said his house "looks a lot better" since the cleaning and new coat of mold-resistant paint was applied.

"Only time will tell what's going to happen," he said.

If he's lucky, nothing will happen. The mold won't come back, and his family will go back to living their lives.

Fraley said he'll get a better handle this winter on how effective the improvements have been.

"Last year, when we had most of the problem, was in the winter, when the house was all closed up," Fraley said.

The homes were built in 2000, a project started by the borough in an attempt to attract new residents.

Homeowners approached officials earlier this year about the mold growth, and Mercer County Housing Authority, whose affiliate Community Homebuyers Inc., was developer of the homes, agreed something had to be done after Fraley produced a report showing the mold was potentially harmful.

A drainage problem was seen as the cause. Water running down the hill was collecting around the basements, which kept them wet and provided a breeding ground for mold.

Builders did not have a drainage plan when the homes were built.

Although the process of acting took months of study and wading through the bureaucratic process, a new drainage was installed to take water away from the homes, the homes were cleaned and other, less costly, measures were taken to try to make sure it does not happen again.

"I think the system's working," said authority Executive Director L. DeWitt Boosel. "Everything we've been doing there has corrected the situation. They're all passing clearance testing and air quality sampling."

Fraley said the work has not relieved a humidity problem in his basement.

"I still think it's pretty high," he said. "We're still getting dampness on the walls. I don't think it's anything major, but I really don't know."

Microbac Laboratories of Erie, which developed the mold remediation plan, will keep tabs on the homes for about a year. Relative humidity monitors were placed in each home, and an inspector will check the information periodically.

Fraley said Microbac is supposed to return in six months to inspect the house.

The contractor that installed the drainage system, Frank Schwartz and Son, Hermitage, will return in the spring to add more fill to the excavated areas. The area has been settling and, in the Fraleys' case, left a one-foot deep trench.

"Pretty much, we stay out of the back yard because it's so soft back there," Fraley said.

While Fraley has been highly critical of the authority and others involved in the homebuilding project, he's keeping his thoughts to himself these days.

"The homeowners still have a sense of frustration because of the process," Boosel said, "That's understandable."

As each home was cleaned of mold, the builder, Hosanna Industries Inc., Rochester, went in and made some small changes, such as improving insulation, varnishing woodwork to better seal it from moisture and making a powder room fan vent through the roof instead of soffit, said Executive Director Donn D. Ed.

Ed said Hosanna has finished with three homes, while another family has not permitted Hosanna to go in.

"He did not want us to do anything until he had spoken to his attorney," Ed said.

The fifth family has apparently abandoned their home, Ed said. "We're trying to contact them and find out what they want us to do," he said.

Ed said Hosanna has learned a lot about mold, particularly from Microbac.

"This has been a new experience for us," he said. "Certainly, it's something we have been very concerned about. I'm not an expert on the growth of mold."

Ed said he cannot guarantee the mold will not come back, but Hosanna tried to follow what experts have told them.

"I think the homes have been improved accordingly," he said. "We've tried to do to the letter of what we've been asked to do. It's been a good experience for us."

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Joe Pinchot at

jpinchot@sharonherald.com