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Couple sues Greenport church over unholy mess

Mold found under a kitchen sink in the rectory. (Courtesy photo)
Mold found under a kitchen sink in the rectory. (Courtesy photo)

During their time in the rectory, Mr. Lashinsky said, the church had paid in September 2012 to get some of the mold removed. A Suffolk Times reporter visited the rectory on two occasions last month and each time saw mold behind walls that had since been opened during a construction project, as well as in floorboards and in the first-floor ceiling.

As visually unappealing as the mold is, the couple said the smell is sickening.

Mr. Lashinsky says his symptoms have continued to worsen over time and large polyps that obstruct his breathing have now grown in his right nostril. A document he provided to a reporter indicates that a local doctor found “abnormalities” in Mr. Lashinsky’s nose and sinus cavities that “may be or are likely to be in relationship” to his “prior environmental or occupational exposures.”

The report does not directly tie the alleged abnormalities to Mr. Lashinsky’s living in the rectory.

Mr. Lashinsky claims the mold is to blame and that he would need expensive surgery to rid his body of the polyps and fix any other internal damage. The couple said they will be seeking monetary compensation to help cover the cost of surgery and other medical bills as well as money for emotional pain and suffering.

In September 2013, the church hired environmental health and safety consultant Leighton Associates Inc. of Forest Hills to conduct a full survey of the mold in the rectory building. According to the company’s report, provided to a reporter by the couple, three types of mold were discovered, including a “very heavy” presence of black mold in the kitchen sink cabinet, which was deemed “beyond remediation” and which the report recommended be removed completely and disposed of.

“I found quite a bit of mold there,” said company owner Bob Leighton, who performed the inspection. “The airborne mold spores were modestly leveled to highly leveled. Certainly someone shouldn’t live there.”

That was a month after the church was granted a variance by the Greenport Zoning Board of Appeals to convert the rectory into a two-family home.

“They have all kinds of legitimate hardships,” village building inspector Eileen Wingate said in an interview. “They were given a variance to have the two-family house construction started and the mold situation was more intense than they thought, so construction has stopped. I haven’t done an inspection in a while and they have to figure out where they’re going from there. It is an unfortunate thing. It is a beautiful old house, but neglect sets in.”

In its more than 150 years, Holy Trinity has been widely known in the greater community for its good deeds; it has, for example, long served as the headquarters of local Boy Scout Troop 51 and Cub Scout Pack 51.

An assistant scoutmaster said the Scouts have had a very positive experience dealing with the church and its leaders.

“It has been our home for such a long time the troop is really a part of the church,” said Ed Whittle, an assistant scoutmaster. “We never had any issues with the church. Whenever we need to use the church it was just a question of contacting the right people.”

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