Renovations at the southwest branch of the Monroe County Public Library will begin soon, but it will still be at least a month before board members expect to announce a reopening date for the branch.
The building has been closed for more than two months after a frozen pipe flooded a third of the library.
MCPL Director Grier Carson said at a board meeting Wednesday the library received $200,000 to order and install new flooring and rebuild walls and outlets damaged by flooding.
“Due to the number of parties involved, and there are quite a few, the sensitivity surrounding potential responsibility, and the many related restoration costs, we have just not been able to commit to a reopening date yet,” Carson said. “And as much as we'd like to, and certainly as much as our patrons deserve to know when their branch is going to reopen, we simply can't set a date without risking having to then turn around and modify it again when we get additional information.”
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Carson said “quiet progress” is being made working with insurance companies and subcontractors.
“I know it doesn't look like it from a public perspective, but this is the arduous process of going through a massive claim like this for a building like this,” he said.
At the board meeting last month, Carson said a part of the HVAC system froze, which caused a pipe to burst and water to drain into the lounge area. An update on the MCPL website says the damage to the building was significant, affecting the program lobby, program room, teen space, children's space and adult print area.
The Southwest branch opened last June. It is the most recent addition to the Monroe County Public Library system.
The next library board of trustees meeting is scheduled for April 17.
