Conte Middle School Remains Closed for Mercury Cleanup
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The school was evacuated around 10:30 a.m. after the school nurse discovered what she believed was mercury on the first-floor corridor.
On Monday evening, parents dropped off clothing that may have been contaminated when their children stepped near in the spill. Some 20 children may have been exposed; their parents were contacted after school officials checked cameras to see who might have been near the spill.
The clothing collection, like the evacuation, was standard procedure, said officials, based on state procedures.
"Nobody was in danger or at risk," said Superintendent James Montepare on Monday evening. "We're not really concerned that there's going to be a health hazard ... in order for something bad to happen, you would have to be exposed for a long period time, over an extended period of time."
But, he said, "we're covering all the bases."
The spill was discovered and cleaned up in a matter of a few hours, said the superintendent, and the children's exposure was limited.
Public Commissioner E. John Morocco said how and why the spill happened was being investigated.
He said the evacuation had gone extremely well, with the youngsters out of the school and on the buses within an hour.
Noting it was the third recent mercury incident, Morocco said "We're getting pretty good at this."
Morocco and Montepare said safety was an important issue and officials were prepared for incidents such as Monday's.
"The Police Department, Fire Department and School Department work well together, not just on this but on everything," said Morocco.
The Berkshire County hazardous waste team was called to the scene, along with local emergency responders and health officials; the state Departments of Public Health and Environmental Protection were also called. A private contractor was ensuring the building was ensuring the building was cleaned.
Conte is expected to reopen on Wednesday.
Original story posted at 12:58 p.m., Dec. 1, 2008
Hoosac Valley, Conte Schools Close Early
A water main break at Hoosac Valley High School in Adams and a possible mercury spill at Conte Middle School in North Adams forced both schools to close on Monday.
"There was a small, what we believe to be a mercury spill in the first-floor corridor of Conte Middle School," said North Adams Public Safety Commissioner E. John Morocco. "As a precaution we evacuated the school."
Conte was evacuated at about 10:30 a.m., shorty after the possible spill was discovered and the children taken to 1st Congregational Church down the street and the school dismissed from there. Monument Square was closed off so buses could pick up the middle schoolers from the church.
Morocco said it wasn't clear that it was a mercury spill — "it appears to be mercury" — but it was decided to remove the children "with expediency" from the building as a precaution. The evacuation went well, he said, noting that the city schools have practiced for such incidents.
The Berkshire County hazardous waste team had been called to determine exactly what the spill was but had not yet arrived. Morocco said he had also informed the state Departments of Environmental Protection and Public Health.
The city's Fire Department, police and building and health officials and North Adams Ambulance responded to the school.
Conte will be closed the rest of the day. Officials could not say if it would open on Tuesday.
This is the third mercury incident that the city has had to deal with in as many months: A broken mercury thermometer closed Sullivan Elementary School on Oct. 22 and leaks in two mercury switches in City Hall's rooftop heating system closed that building on Sept. 24.
At Hoosac Valley, a water main break on Sunday gave students a five-day holiday. Principal Henry Duval said the break was found by a custodian on Sunday and couldn't be fixed in time for school to open on Monday morning.
The break has already been repaired and won't stop this afternoon's activities. "This is the first day of winter sports and the time trials will go on," said Duval.
And while students got an extra day off for the Thanksgiving weekend, "they'll have to come back and make it up in the summer," he said. "Just like a snow day."
A water main break closed Drury High School in North Adams on Nov. 24.
