November 2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

LAURA MALLOZZI 611 Edgewater Drive . South Bend, IN 466o1 . (574) 233 - 5612 October 9, 2008 St. Joseph County Historic Preservation Commission 125 S. Lafayette St. South Bend, IN 46601 Dear Historic Preservation Commission: Enclosed is my application for a Certificate of Appropriateness along with a fifteen dollar check for the application fee. I am fortunate enough to qualify for the St. Joseph County Health Department Lead Abatement Program. They are willing to remedy my exterior lead issues by providing me with new siding and some new windows. My understanding is that they are required to follow federal regulations for Safe Work Practices and will seal the lead paint in some fashion and apply the new siding over the sealant. As a single mother with limited income I am thrilled for this assistance because I would not be able to pay for this work to be done on my own. I am concerned about lead exposure in my children. My 5 -year-old son, David, in particular has had rising blood lead levels over the years. On 11/08/07 David's blood lead levels were 8 ug/dL. Although this is below the 10 ug/dL level that is considered "lead -poisoned" it is higher than his blood test on 05/08/06 which was 5 ug/dL, which was higher than a test that he had previous to that. I feel that I can have some control over the lead exposure inside my home by "wet dusting" and easier repair work that I can do myself but I feel I have no control over the lead exposure to my children outside without this new siding from the Lead Abatement Program. An interesting note is that the highest concentration of lead in my home is on the floor in the entrance. It is suspected that this likely indicates that much of the exterior lead dust and particles from chipped paint are being tracked inside on the bottoms of my children's shoes. I haven't had any conversation with the program director, Charles McManus, or the contractor, Peter Payne, about the windows. My understanding is that the selection of the contractor was made specifically because of his experience in repairing historic homes as closely as possible to the historic guidelines. Peter is able to bring samples of materials and is planning on attending the next meeting with me for my Certificate of Appropriateness. His contact information is listed on my application and he is happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Laura Mallozzi�