Commission plans April reopening of Hosmer House after air‑quality steps and cleaning

The Sudbury Historical Commission agreed to target an April reopening of the Hosmer House after reviewing recent air‑quality testing and consulting with the town public health director.

Commission members described recent steps taken to assess and reduce indoor mold spore concentrations and said the town’s public health director, Vivian Zhang, told the commission the house’s indoor air quality has "drastically improved" and that closure for mold is typically reserved for very severe cases. Zhang said public health is most concerned with what people inhale, not surface counts alone, and encouraged routine cleaning and signage advising visitors not to handle collection items. The director said she can be contacted by docents or members of the public with health questions but declined to provide a written statement for posting.

Commissioners reviewed an updated website notice explaining the availability of mold assessment reports and advising anyone with health concerns to consult a doctor and to contact the town’s facilities or public health departments. The commission asked Town IT to add links to the mold assessments on both the Sudbury Historical Commission and Hosmer House pages so the public can access reports directly.

Operational steps the commission agreed on include scheduling a professional cleaning of the first floor (the vendor requires about four hours for a typical cleaning), confirming whether the current cleaning contractor’s contract amendment has a countersigned copy on file, and coordinating cleaning dates with docents. Commissioner Bill offered to be onsite when the contractor cleans; Commissioner Chris agreed to follow up on contract signatures and process invoices. The commission discussed whether rug cleaning should be done by a separate vendor; members said rug restoration can be scheduled later and noted funds exist in the Hosmer Fund and the commission’s budget to cover professional cleaning and rug work.

Commissioners noted the commission had received Community Preservation Committee (CPC) support for Hosmer House exterior work and collections work; if CPC funding and the town meeting votes are approved in the spring, those projects would advance the building envelope work that commissioners say will reduce moisture — the primary driver of mold growth. The commission also said it is starting the process of hiring an archivist to catalogue the house collections and will oversee consultant work if CPC-funded projects proceed.

No formal vote was required to set the target reopening month; commissioners settled on April as a realistic target and assigned follow-up tasks: secure a countersigned cleaning amendment, schedule the cleaner (Bill to coordinate availability), notify docents and circulate the public health guidance summary, and continue to post relevant reports on the town website.