State government officials are continuing to battle Legionella bacteria at the aging State Center office complex in Baltimore, sending workers home this week as they flush the buildings’ water systems.

Unions representing thousands of workers at State Center are unsatisfied with the lack of communication and slow resolution of the health concerns over the bacteria in the water.

“It’s really frustrating and deflating to the workers,” said Todd Reynolds, political coordinator for AFT-Maryland, which represents health care workers and professionals at various agencies, including in offices at State Center.

Officials from the Department of General Services, which owns and manages the State Center buildings, have not responded to questions from The Baltimore Banner about the situation.

The State Center complex of office buildings dates to the mid-1900s and has been the focus of stalled efforts at revitalization and redevelopment. As state plans to redo the site have faltered over the last two decades, the buildings have only gotten older and more outdated.

Though the state has gradually relocated offices to other sites in Baltimore, thousands of employees still work at State Center, including at the headquarters of the state’s departments of health, labor and general services.

Last month, the state settled a lawsuit with a developer that had been picked to redevelop the site, only to be thwarted by opposition and delays. The state paid $58.5 million to the developer, which paves the way for a reset on the property’s future.

In early November, Legionella bacteria were first confirmed at the State Center complex. The bacteria can cause Legionnaire’s disease, a serious form of pneumonia that kills one in 10 people who fall ill. Legionella bacteria can also cause Pontiac fever, a mild respiratory disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Legionella bacteria can grow and spread in water systems, and people are exposed to the bacteria when they breathe in mist that contains it, according to the CDC.

At the time, employees were sent home to work for a couple of days around the Veterans Day holiday, Reynolds said. The union filed complaints with Maryland Occupational Safety and Health, part of the state Department of Labor, asking for a review of the state’s response and to allow workers to telework while test results were pending. MOSH, following an investigation, did not take any actions, Reynolds said.

Then, just before the Thanksgiving holiday, when the presence of Legionella bacteria was confirmed again, the union asked MOSH to require the state to turn over the test samples. That request has not been fulfilled, Reynolds said.

“It’s really suspicious when you get stonewalled by multiple agencies,” Reynolds said.

Dinah Winnick, a spokesperson for the state Department of Labor, confirmed that MOSH is investigating the matter, but declined to comment further because the investigation is active.

This week, workers at three State Center buildings are being asked to work from home on a rotating basis as each building’s water system is flushed, according to a memo obtained by The Baltimore Banner.

The building at 301 W. Preston St. is closed Wednesday, then 201 W. Preston St. is scheduled to be closed Thursday, followed by a closure of 1100 N. Eutaw St. on Friday.

Each day, workers from those buildings will be asked to telework or take administrative leave. Once workers return, they’re being encouraged to use hand sanitizer and avoid drinking from water fountains. The Department of General Services plans to provide bottled water.

The building at 300 W. Preston St. was previously flushed and then tested Nov. 27, and officials are waiting for test results, which can take two weeks.

Members of AFSCME Maryland Council 3, the largest union of state workers, rallied at the State Center complex Tuesday, demanding that employees be kept safe.

Diane Williams, secretary-treasurer of an AFSCME local that represents state workers in Baltimore, said the state has failed to communicate what’s being done to combat the Legionella bacteria. She questioned why employees have been allowed to work in person while the threat of Legionella is present.

And AFT-Maryland passed out flyers Wednesday to workers and people arriving to do business at State Center buildings. Reynolds said, while some workers knew about what was going on, other workers and visitors were unaware.

“We’re finding out more and more that there is no one, central message being communicated to the workers,” Reynolds said. “It seems some workers haven’t been told much of anything.”