Francis Howell North odor persists; contractors, district increase testing as staff report illnesses

Francis Howell R-III trustees and contractors outlined an intensified investigation into a recurring, intermittent sewer-like odor at Francis Howell North, after staff and some students reported headaches and other health problems.

The update came Thursday from Matt Frank, project director for SM Wilson, and Salim Stutzer, the district's director of facilities and operations, who told the Board of Education the smell has been reported intermittently since the building opened and has resisted earlier fixes.

District and contractor leaders said why it matters: staff and students have experienced symptoms and some employees have sought medical attention, and the odor has intermittently closed parts of the school. The district said it has spent staff time and contractor resources investigating and that the odor's intermittency makes it difficult to reproduce and identify.

Frank described the sequence of work since December: crews cleared a major clog in an exterior sewer main that briefly reduced the odor; crews then inspected exterior and interior sewer lines with camera equipment and found them flowing and properly graded. In February crews discovered and repaired a floor drain in a mechanical room that lacked a trap; crews also repaired a chipped plumbing vent in the nurse's station and a damaged pipe above an auditorium restroom. A grease interceptor was cleaned and a clog removed; the odor returned days later.

The district has engaged an independent engineering firm, Case Engineering, to perform a peer review of the building's design drawings and to recommend and observe tests. Case engineers will be on site during a weeknight full-investigation day to open ceilings, run smoke tests, monitor pressure differentials on vent lines and inspect traps and drains, the board was told. The district will also perform targeted camera inspections of vent lines and use manometers to measure pressure differentials at roof vents.

"We share your frustration," Frank said. "This is a 400,000-square-foot building with miles of piping and 23 rooftop air handlers. The odor appears and disappears quickly, sometimes within minutes, which makes it hard to reproduce."

Stutzer told the board handheld four-gas monitors and a multi-hour third-party air sampling run earlier this year did not detect hydrogen sulfide or other gases at levels that laboratory testing identified as causes. He said the district would explore continuous electronic monitoring devices and leave monitoring sensors in place to capture intermittent events.

Board members and public commenters urged faster communication and more visible accountability. Several board members asked the district to provide weekly updates to both the board and Francis Howell North staff; President Blair and Stutzer said the district would send weekly summaries of findings and next steps.

Board members and commenters pressed for a contingency plan if the source is not found before summer programming begins. The board asked staff to bring a contingency plan for summer school and to be prepared to escalate to outside agencies if this concentrated investigation does not identify a cause.

Why it matters: district leaders said the issue affects teaching conditions, staff health and operations. FHN staff and union representatives told the board they have had headaches, migraines and lost work days; the district confirmed three staffers had sought medical care and two students had been documented in relation to the odor.

Officials said more invasive and targeted testing will take place the next day when the building is closed, with four engineers on site along with multiple plumbers, the commissioning agent and SM Wilson staff. The district promised to increase transparency with weekly updates and to consider outside agencies if the next-phase testing does not produce an actionable finding.

The district did not announce a timeline for a final resolution and said some investigative steps may take time because of the building size, the number of mechanical systems and the odor's intermittent nature.

Ending: The board asked administration to bring a summer-school contingency plan to the May meeting if the odor problem is unresolved; administrators said they would report back after the intensified on-site testing and then propose next steps if testing fails to identify the source.