Coffee County library remediation nearly finished; summer reading canceled pending final inspection

The Coffee County Library Board heard a report that remediation work inside the library is nearly complete but the building will remain closed to the public until inspectors provide an all-clear.

Polly, the library director, told trustees that contractors are finishing remediations and that a re-inspection will be scheduled once work is done. "Once those are done, hopefully by the end of this week, then a re-inspection would be done and once we get the all clear, we'll be able to return to the building," Polly said. She added that staff will need a day or two inside to return books and empty the drop box before reopening.

Polly said the library cannot open to the public immediately because of the volume of materials that need to be processed: "nobody has a clue how many books we're going to have to be dealing with," she said. She also reported that Randy, the library’s technician, will be allowed into the building Thursday to update computers before a planned medical leave; the mayor approved the access.

Because the building remains inaccessible, Polly said the library canceled its planned summer reading program and could not find alternate venues for programming. "We had to cancel our programming cuz we had no other venues to have them at," she said, while noting that if the building reopens in late June or early July the board might be able to offer some limited special programming for children before school starts.

The board said it will announce reopening on the library’s Facebook page and website. On finances, Polly reported there were no financials to present because staff have been unable to access the building; she said she will consult with Kate and Mariana to determine whether funds will roll to the next fiscal year.

The board did not take formal action beyond hearing the director’s report. The meeting proceeded to other agenda items and adjourned shortly afterward.