Parent-led study of Crestview Heights School in Waldport finds no current air quality issues

WALDPORT – An $8,700 air quality study at Crestview Heights School overseen by a parents group has found no current indoor environmental issues, the group has announced in a letter to the community.

Five days of testing by G2 Consultants of Lake Oswego found no carbon monoxide and that levels of volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde and carbon dioxide were below state health standards.

The testing, paid for by the Lincoln County School District, was the fourth by a state or private agency spurred by student and staff complaints about noxious smells following a Jan. 26 boiler misfire. The district said Monday it had spent about $25,000 total on various types of testing at Crestview Heights since January.

“Our takeaway from the G2 report is that there are no indications of any continuing air quality issues at Crestview Heights,” the letter said.

All the studies found no evidence of continuing air quality problems.

The January incident sent diesel fumes into the building, forcing an evacuation and cancelling classes. The school then had similar reports of noxious smells of gas or diesel on April 2, April 10 and then twice on April 16, which led to evacuations of some classrooms.

After the incident April 16, parents took 14 students to the emergency room at Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital for testing of their carbon monoxide levels and leading to a community uproar over the ongoing issues.

The school has 355 students, including children from the Yachats area.

To allay suspicion that the district would limit the results of a fourth test of the building, it appointed a parents group led by Waldport homebuilders Chris Carlson and Kevin Smallwood.

“We wish to be clear that we do not doubt the experience of those who had negative symptoms and hope that each individual sought professional care if they experienced those symptoms,” the group’s letter said. “Our understanding is that there were numerous affirmative actions taken when the boiler issues began occurring in January and we believe that a combination of those efforts have led to the air quality issues being resolved.”