Saints spend $87,500 to clean mildew

The job is enormous and the view spectacular, but at the end of the day the work is pretty ordinary: Like other New Orleanians caring for their driveways or decks, private crews atop the Superdome are pressure-washing mildew off the 9.6-acre landmark. The distinctive white roof needs it. The section that has been cleaned contrasts sharply with the streaked and dingy area still untouched. The $87,500 job should be done by the middle of next week, in time for the New Orleans Saints’ regular-season opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 9, said Doug Thornton, senior vice president of SMG, the company that manages the Superdome and the New Orleans Arena. Thornton said Superdome managers noticed a few months ago that the domed roof was getting dirty much faster than normal. Ordinarily, it’s 18 to 24 months between cleanings. This time, the roof looked bad in 14 months, he said. A lab analysis showed there was nothing unusual about the grime: It’s ordinary dirt and South Louisiana mildew discoloring the Superdome. – New Orleans Times-Picayune