NO ANSWER

I am a former Title Guaranty employee. I worked where records were stored, in the basement of what was the Costco location that is now occupied by Target.


We were housed in the basement with an air-conditioner as the only ventilation. I noticed mold growing in a hole, in the wall beneath the air-conditioner, adjacent to the room where I sometimes, but mostly my co-workers would eat lunch. I asked them about it and was told that management was made aware of it and did nothing. I decided to inform management myself, considering the untruths I had previously heard from some. I was thanked by the assistant to the woman in accounting who handled the repairs for the building.

I did not think it was a major undertaking by a very successful company to fix this problem, and was surprised at the length of time it was taking to address the situation, so I informed OSHA, Aug. 2003. This is when things started to go further south. Strangely, the day after going to the OSHA offices, the next day at work, my supervisor stated to a co-worker, " Vernon went to OSHA." This information was not given to her or any co-worker, by me.

When I went to Hawaii OSHA, the employee did not give me any type of reference number, or write one in the space provided on the complaint form, nor did she inform me at that time that mold is not OSHA'S jurisdiction, which is what I was told when I went to check on the status of the complaint.

Neither, did the employee inform me of laws governing discrimination. I was also told - it not being OSHA'S jurisdiction - the complaint was referred to the Department of Health. It was like pulling teeth to get an answer as to what office at the DOH it was referred to. Needless to say I could not inquire about the possible disposition of the complaint, not knowing where to inquire.

Nov, 2003, there was a flood upstairs after Costco vacated the ground level space. When I went around the rear of the building to go to the Tesoro station, I saw torrents gushing from the trucking bays. This water was obviously under pressure. It could not be due to an eccess of rain, which was the explanation I heard from the supervisor.

I saw no fire department personnel before I left and was told none were notified. We continued working after a cursory "mop up".

Vernon Balmer Jr.
General Delivery
Honolulu, Hawaii 96820/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
from: Nivolon.Monique@epamail.epa.gov
to: fnitts@gmail.com

ccRussell.takata@doh.hawaii.gov,
Rosenblum.Shelly@epamail.epa.gov,
Hardy.Rosemary@epamail.epa.gov


dateWed, Dec 31, 2008 at 11:29 AM
subjectRequest for information on Indoor Air Quality and Mold in a Commercial Location in Hawaii
mailed-byepamail.epa.gov


Dear Mr. Balmer,
Your letter to our information line was forwarded to our Indoor Environments Program for response. While we have a great deal of guidance on indoor air quality and mold, we do not have standards or regulations to apply to your situation. I'm sorry that you were not directed to the proper department at the Hawaii Department of Health. Please contact the following department and individuals:
Hawaii Department of Health

Russell S. Takata
Program Manager
Noise, Radiation and Indoor Air Quality Branch
Hawaii Department of Health
591 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813-4921
808-586-4700


and:
Shawn Haruno
Indoor Air Quality Specialist
shawn.haruno@doh.hawaii.gov


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From: Vernon Balmer Jr.
Sent: Sat 1/3/2009 10:58 AM
To: Haruno, Shawn H.; Takata, Russell S.
Subject: Vernon Balmer Jr.

Hello, I am Vernon Balmer Jr. I am contacting you per Ms. Nivolon's request.dateSat,


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On Sat, Jan 3, 2009 at 11:49 AM, Takata, Russell S. wrote:

Vernon,
What can we do for you?
Russ


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Jan 3, 2009 at 4:45 PM
subjectRe: Vernon Balmer Jr.
mailed-bygmail.com

Jan 3 Reply


I would like copies of what is available.


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from "Takata, Russell S." hide details Jan 3 (5 days ago)
to "Vernon Balmer Jr."

date Jan 3, 2009 4:55 PM
subject RE: Vernon Balmer Jr.
mailed-by doh.hawaii.gov

Vernon,
If I can have your address, I will have IAQ/mold information sent to you.
Russ


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from "Vernon Balmer Jr."
to "Takata, Russell S."
date Jan 5, 2009 10:17 AM
subject Re: Vernon Balmer Jr.
mailed-by gmail.com

To be more specific, I would like copies of my complaint and the subsequent disposition of it.



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---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Vernon Balmer Jr.

- Hide quoted text -
Date: Jan 8, 2009 3:19 PM
Subject: Fwd: Vernon Balmer Jr.
To: Nivolon.Monique@epamail.epa.gov


Thank you for your assistance. But to date I have not received a response to my last correspondence with the Hawaii Department Of Health.

It may take some time, and I hope this is the case. But this type of attitude of ignoring problems can be bypical of Hawaii bureaucracy.

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fromNivolon.Monique@epamail.epa.gov
to"Vernon Balmer Jr."

ccRosenblum.Shelly@epamail.epa.gov,
russell.takata@doh.hawaii.gov

dateTue, Mar 24, 2009 at 10:38 AM
subjectYour request for Indoor Air Quality
mailed-byepamail.epa.gov


I called Mr. Takata today, and he informed me that: 1) he doesn't have any complaint about the title guarantee location at Lawehana; (and he told you so); and 2) he asked you for your address in order to send you some Indoor Air Quality information, and you never gave it to him.

We suggest you telephone Mr. Takata direct if there are further information you need.

Monique Nivolon
Indoor Environments Team
US EPA - AIR-6
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Tel: 415-947-4195 - Fax: 415-947-3583
e-mail: nivolon.monique@epa.gov

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fromVernon Balmer Jr.
toNivolon.Monique@epamail.epa.gov

dateWed, Mar 25, 2009 at 10:06 AM
subjectRe: Your request for Indoor Air Quality
mailed-bygmail.com


I think this will clarify the situation.

Haruno, Shawn H. Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 12:53 PM
To: "Vernon Balmer Jr."
Cc: "Takata, Russell S."
Reply | Reply to all | Forward | Print | Delete | Show original

Mr. Balmer,
I searched our records again under “Title Guaranty” since the first
mention of the location of your concern was in the email dated 3/17/09
addressed to Mr. Takata. I did find a letter to Mr. Koizumi dated
12/1/03. Is this the record that you are requesting or is it a newer
complaint? Please clarify.

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