Philadelphia Building Trades claim mold at Old City apartment complex under construction

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - Members of Philadelphia's Building Trades is alleging mold at an Old City apartment complex currently under construction.

FOX 29's Hank Flynn reports.

It was musical way to make a hard point Thursday morning as Philly Building Trades rank and file gathered to blow the whistle on 401 Race Street. They sung 'baby there's mold inside'. Trades boss John Dougherty says the proof is in photos taken by his people.

Assembled Grinches showed enlarged photos of what looked like mold spores and even mushrooms that Johnny Doc and others say are growing inside. FOX 29 drone team video shows work being done on the property from the forklift outside to the work to be done on the roof of what will be a 4-story, 216-unit apartment complex called The View at Old City. But it's not just mold, according to the union boss

"I was here during the summer. One kid was hanging off the side - I called OSHA - in flip flops. It's ridiculous. Mold comes with it and for 3,500 all the mushrooms you can eat," Dougherty said.

City Licenses and Inspections spokeswoman Karen Guss told FOX 29 in a statement that L&I fielded a complaint in October about dry rot and mold. Since repairs were already in progress, she said no violations were written, but that if the site falls out of compliance she adds that it'll be written up. 21 violations on the property dating back to 2013, according to the L&I property history--some regarding demo and some stop-work orders-- all have been brought into compliance.

Repeated calls have been made to the General Contractor Hutter Pioneer Joint Venture of Massachusetts, New York and South Carolina, but none were returned. Nor were calls made to asset managers Priderock Capital Management to both their Philly and Florida offices. An information board says the project is slated to be finished by February but one union guy told FOX 29's Hank Flynn he doubts it would be done before Summer 2019.