Basement Demoulding Completed at RT O'Neal
Contractors have finished demoulding and fumigating the Ralph T. O'Neal Administration Complex basement after discovering extensive mould within sheetrock. A specialist is due in early November to verify the work and assess whether mould spread to other floors before full retrofitting can proceed.
Contractors from Biogerm Solutions have completed demoulding and fumigation of the Ralph T. O'Neal Administration Complex basement, the company reported during a site tour on October 23, 2025. Biogerm Solutions CEO Allen Wheatley led the update for personnel from the Ministry of Communications and Works and BCQS.
The three-part remediation project began in August 2025 and included cleaning, spraying and fumigation. Initial inspections revealed mould was more severe than expected, embedded inside the building's sheetrock rather than confined to surface areas. Wheatley said the discovery prompted an immediate change of approach: demolition and demoulding teams worked together so that crews could open walls, apply a chlorine dioxide spray to kill mould on contact, and then remove contaminated materials.
That sequence reduced the risk of releasing spores into surrounding spaces, he said. Once demolition and debris removal were complete, crews sealed and fumigated the basement with a chlorine dioxide gas. According to Wheatley, the treatment was intended to reach all crevices and eliminate mould and pest infestations; the entire East wing and part of the West wing have already been fumigated.
The company expects to fumigate the remainder of the West wing by Monday, October 27, 2025, pending receipt of required materials. Biogerm is maintaining ongoing spraying of the basement every few days while awaiting the arrival of an overseas mould specialist, scheduled for November 3–5, 2025.
The specialist produced a 270-page assessment on the building and will retest the basement to determine whether the remediation was successful and to evaluate any spread to upper floors. Under the current contract, Biogerm will return after demolition work on the first, second and third floors to perform demoulding on those areas before a full building retest.
The specialist's findings will determine when the government can move forward with planned retrofitting. Minister for Communications and Works Kye M. Rymer previously advised that more than $10 million had been committed to rehabilitate the complex, with completion projected for 2026 or 2027.
For residents and public servants, the ongoing remediation is critical to restoring safe working conditions and allowing government services housed in the complex to resume normal operations. Officials say they will publish further updates following the specialist's assessment and the next round of testing.
Primary source: VINO