Officials Hope to Reopen Harvey Convention Center Monday

TYLER — The city of Tyler plans to reopen Harvey Convention Center Monday if that’s approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Northeast Texas Public Health District (NET Health). The city temporarily closed the convention center this week in the wake of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak that killed one person and sickened seven others. The city has since been notified by the CDC that, though testing for Legionella is positive at Harvey, the bacteria strain found in samples from Harvey was not consistent with the strain that caused the outbreak.

Due to the presence of Legionella bacteria detected within the facility’s plumbing system, the city will continue to move forward with its short-term remediation plan, followed by a long-term ongoing management plan, according to a news release. NET Health CEO George Roberts terms the city’s approach “aggressive and proactive,” adding that his agency and the CDC both support the city’s plan.

The city has hired East Texas Water Quality to perform the remediation process. The city has contracted with ERI Consulting, Inc. for added inspection and oversight of the process. This process began Friday. Additional flushing was set for Saturday, with testing to follow Sunday. As part of its short-term remediation plan, the city is disconnecting the hot water system in the convention center as a further precaution. The city says it will continue to perform testing once remediation is completed to ensure safe levels within the system. Moving forward, no devices that aerosolize/vaporize water will be allowed within the facility. For now, hot tubs at the East Texas State Fair appear to be the most likely source of the outbreak.