Lawmakers see progress in mold, maintenance work

VIRGINIA BEACH

Two Virginia federal legislators said Monday that the Navy and its private housing operator have made progress in dealing with residents' complaints about mold and other maintenance issues but they're not satisfied yet.

After a morning visit to the homes of two families in a complex near Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner asked senior Navy officers and the president of Lincoln Military Housing, which oversees about 4,300 units in Hampton Roads, to provide more-detailed information about the status of individual resident complaints. He also asked for information about how quickly complaints are resolved.

During the sidewalk chat, Jarl Bliss, president of Lincoln Military, told Warner and U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-3rd District, that in the wake of the concerns over housing upkeep, his company has named a new vice president of property management and two new regional maintenance supervisors. The company has speeded up its response time to maintenance issues, he said, but indicated complaints about mold take more time.

Two hundred residents who raised specific concerns about mold are still awaiting completion of their inspections, Bliss said. The process can take two or three weeks, he said.

Mold has been found by inspectors in several homes, but the Navy and management company have said it's a maintenance issue, not a public health concern. Some residents say mold has caused respiratory or other health problems for themselves or family members.

Warner said he supports a proposal by U.S. Rep. Scott Rigell, R-2nd District, who also has spoken out on the maintenance problem, that the specific federal standards for acceptable concentrations of mold be established.

In addition to Little Creek, the housing complexes are in neighborhoods near Norfolk Naval Station, Oceana Naval Air Station and other military bases.

"There's still so much work to do," Scott said afterwards. "But we're hearing a different attitude than a couple of weeks ago."