West Manchester Library “Thirty-five years of providing Library Services on the West Side April 7,1980 to today”

Brief History of Event The West Branch flooded the evening of February 17 th from a burst fire sprinkler pipe. The water level rose to approximately 5 feet before the water could be turned off. Insurance adjusters walked the scene on February 18 th, 19 th, 20 th and again on the 23 rd. Clean up began the morning of February 19 th. This included Removing the last of the standing water; Removing all the destroyed library materials; Removing all the destroyed furniture, equipment and shelving; Removing wall board and all flooring; and coordinating a large dehumidifier to run continuously along with fans to prevent mold. It took three weeks to clean up and dry out the lower level of the branch.

What was in the lower level of the library: Our adult book collections- fiction and non-fiction titles Teen book collection Reference collection Paperback collection Audiobook collection (books on cd) Six public internet stations One online catalog station to search the library collections. One staff workstation. Furnishings for patrons and staff. Our computer networking equipment Electrical panels Elevator equipment Water heater Electric heat baseboards Two public restrooms

Damages: Electrical system of the whole building is compromised. Repairs estimated at $19,305. Elevator needs $29,705 worth of repairs and is currently non- operational. 10, 338 books and audiobooks were destroyed with a value of $295,000. This amounts to 72% of the branch’s collection kept in the lower level- or the same size collection as some town libraries have in New Hampshire. $20,000 worth of computer and office equipment lost. Destroyed the library’s computer network. $55,000 worth of furnishings and shelving damaged and removed. Dollar amount for the damage to walls, floors, doors, windows is being discussed and reviewed with the Insurance Company. Currently estimated in the $50,000 range. Cleanup bill was over $30,000.

What has been done to date: Inventory of contents lost/damaged sent to adjustor by March 4 th. The claim for the materials is 642 pages long. Quotes collected for structural damage to elevator and electrical systems; sent to adjustor week of March 9 th. Reviewing Insurance claim information and having Risk Management following up. Scheduling contractors to enter building to gather quotes for repairs to walls, flooring, doors will be collected in the next week. Scheduling contractors to give an estimate for a fire alarm system as well as additional sprinklers. Meeting scheduled with mechanical engineer to review HVAC issues. Fire sprinkler system now operational. Domestic water pipes were repaired. Turned on briefly to flush out restrooms in building. Turned back off since lower level restrooms and water fountain still need repairs. Salvaged materials from the collection were moved to main library and inventoried. They are now in storage at the main library (2,557). Branch programs rescheduled at main library for time being. A Library staff member stops at the branch once a day to pickup any materials returned in book drop. Pictures are on display in the main library’s Rotunda and on the door to the branch for patrons to see the damage. Updates posted to the library blog as new information is available.

What needs to be done: Insurance claim finalized: awaiting their review of elevator quote, cleanup costs and electrical work to be done. Also they are not finished reviewing our materials claim. Funds when received to be placed in the CIP account we have asked be set up for the library. Life Safety issues discussed. (Fire Alarm System, Sprinklers throughout building). Put together a project budget based on our allotted funds. Repair electrical system after additional quotes are received from contractors. This in process. Repair elevator. Replace computer networking equipment. Replacement of infrastructure- walls, doors, windows. Painting of walls. Selection and installation of flooring materials for the whole lower level and back stairwell. Ordering furnishings, and computer equipment. Ordering and installing of shelving. Return materials back to the shelves.

What we are doing in the meantime: Heavily cleaning the rest of the building. Hardwood floors being cleaned and resealed on the 3 rd floor. De-cluttering closets, re-organizing library supplies. Beginning a list of materials to be purchased. Reviewing types of shelving to purchase. Reviewing furnishing options. Attending meetings to discuss needed repairs, reviewing insurance to maximize our funds and discussing our course of action going forward to rebuild. Discussing layout changes so we are ready to move forward when funds are secure. Reaching out to west side organizations to provide children’s services such as story time and crafts at their site during our temporary closure. We need to take our programming “on the road”.

Why we don’t have a date to reopen just yet: The branch suffered major damage to its infrastructure which impacts all three floors of the building: Electrical system (all our electrical panels were submerged); Our computer system is not operational. The equipment that ran the network was submerged in water. We cannot check items in or out on site- we are physically taking all your returns to the main library to do so. Elevator non operational. The water cannot be turned on until the lower level restrooms are fully repaired. Parking will be difficult during reconstruction with all the contractors we will have on site along with Facilities and Library Staff. We cannot order furnishings and shelving for delivery and installation until the first step, repairs, are begun. We ask for your patience as we use this opportunity to improve the library to serve you better!

How you can help! Join us at Portland Pie Company on Thursday April 16 th from 5 to 9 pm– part of the proceeds will go to our Library Foundation. This is part of our National Library Week activities! Make a donation directly to the Library Foundation via our website or by check and ask for the funds to be set aside for the Branch! Foundation/Donate Foundation/Donate Join us at the Manchester Barnes and Noble Book Fair on June 18, 19 th and 20th. Purchase an Audio Book from our West Wish List to add to the collection! A portion of the proceeds will be set aside to buy new materials for the branch!

Our heartfelt thank you for all the support over the past few weeks and as we move forward! Library Board of TrusteesBoard of Mayor and Aldermen Manchester Fire DepartmentManchester Water Works Facilities DivisionAramark Staff Senior Center StaffRisk Management/City Solicitor Health DepartmentFinance Department Information SystemsSt. Andrew’s Church Planning DepartmentMy Library Staff And especially our West Side Library Patrons!