The Chester County Property Assessors office reopened Tuesday morning after closing mid-day Friday due to since-alleviated chemical concerns.
The short end of the story is that hopefully a several-months-long process of finding and repairing a leak and subsequent damage has been resolved. The long end of the story is, well, longer.
According to Chester County Mayor Barry Hutcherson and Property Assessor Beverly Morton, an apparent leak was discovered in her office within the County Office Building in June of this year. Excess moisture had been discovered on the floor by an interior wall, creating a damp area but not pooling. Not being as simple as an easily identifiable leak, Mayor Hutcherson explained steps had to be taken to ensure the leak was not in fact due to damage holding over from Winter Storm Fern in January/February 2026. The County Office Building had sustained damage to the awning, with a window breaking at the exterior of Morton’s office.
The County was in the process of working with insurance, obtaining bids and scheduling repairs, and Hutcherson said locating the source of the leak became a part of the process until they could rule out relation to storm damage. In addition to inspecting the area in Morton’s office where moisture had been detected, Mayor Hutcherson said county maintenance investigated, cutting a hole in a wall and turning the water off and on to inspect for a leak or moisture; returning at a later date for another attempt; and a roofing company inspected damage where the exterior brick had pulled from the building and installed metal flashing in case water was traveling down into the building from that area.
Morton turned to Facebook on Friday, October 9, asking for suggestions from the community. She updated the post soon after, reporting that the City Utility Department had stopped by and had been able to obtain enough moisture to complete a water test, determining that it was city water, and therefore a leak from the pipes. With reports that there continued to be evidence of moisture, the mayor met a plumber at the building on Columbus Day when a small leak was finally located with the use of a camera inserted into the wall. Repairs were made that day, Mayor Hutcherson said.
During the search for the origin of the excess moisture, Morton became concerned about what appeared to be mold on the ceiling vents in her office. In an apparent effort to address these concerns, county maintenance reported to the Assessor’s office mid-day Friday, Oct. 16, prepared to spray the affected areas for mold and mildew. Morton, who had gone to lunch, said she received a call from one of her office staff who stated that maintenance had come into the office wearing respirators and paper coverall-type garments, and had begun to spray without explanation to the staff who were present. Morton made the decision to close the office the remainder of the day Friday (Oct. 16) and on Monday, Oct. 19 as well, stating in a Facebook post that she was unsure whether or not the substance being sprayed was a toxic chemical and whether or not it posed a hazard to the office or the public.
Morton said she met with the Mayor on Monday to discuss the spray and safety to those in the area. Mayor Hutcherson contacted an unnamed professional who is knowledgeable about the particular spray used, who came and assured Morton and Hutcherson of the safety of the product and shared that the spray is used in schools and dissipates quickly. “He came and said nothing hazardous had been sprayed,” Morton said, adding that he said he would be comfortable returning to the office. The coveralls and respirators had reportedly been used in order to maintain Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) standards for application. Furthermore, he had examined the affected area of the vent and said it wiped away easily and therefore was not mold, but actually a build up of dirt and dust. The Mayor said he has requested the janitor schedule a time with the Assessor to clean the vents.
In an interview Tuesday, Morton expressed that her present concern (beyond the aforementioned) was lack of communication throughout the process. “There has been zero communication,” she said, explaining that she had not been made aware of attempts to locate and fix the source of the moisture, of plans to spray in her office or what would be used to spray.
In a separate interview, Mayor Hutcherson noted communication had not been handled as effectively as it could have been, stating he had been unaware that Morton did not know of the steps that had been taken to address the leak.
Regarding the leak and current state of the office post-repairs, Mayor Hutcherson said after a short period of time to allow the moisture to fully dry out, and to ensure no leak remains, the county will proceed with wall and floor repairs.
A statement provided to the Chester County Independent from the Mayor’s office expounded on the leak and outcome:
“The Mayor’s position is that the water leak and vent concerns were not ignored. Efforts were made to investigate and address the issues as they were reported.
“The water leak was particularly difficult to locate because the amount of moisture was extremely small and the source was not immediately apparent. Multiple investigations and contractors were involved before moisture was located in the cement and the plumbing was replaced.”
In regard to the communication, Mayor Hutcherson plans to implement a documented request system, which he hopes will alleviate miscommunication between maintenance/janitorial and all county offices, and to reinforce departmental communication concerning routine maintenance without requiring involvement of the Mayor’s Office.
This system is also detailed in the statement released to the Independent:
“To help address this issue and improve communication throughout county government, the Mayor has requested that a maintenance request form be distributed to all county offices. This is the same form that has been used at the Chester County Jail for approximately one year and has worked well. The form will give offices a consistent way to report maintenance needs, help ensure requests are communicated to the proper personnel and provide a record of concerns that need attention. The Mayor wants county offices to communicate their maintenance needs so problems can be addressed efficiently. The new maintenance request process is intended to help accomplish that for all county departments.
“The Mayor hopes this process will improve communication and help prevent future misunderstandings.”
