Library Repairs Finally Underway at Halsey Road

No word yet as to when its long-shuttered lower level and children's area will reopen, but construction started Monday to get the 's main branch at 449 Halsey Road back up to full speed.

The library's bottom floor has been unavailable to patrons since Hurricane Irene and its floods ravaged the township in late August.

Executive Director Jayne Beline said the damage was extensive.

"Water came in throughout the lower level, affecting the children’s room, meeting room area, technical services and library storage areas," Beline explained. "This was due to a combination of the amount of rainfall and loss of electricity."

The inconvenience hit the youngest librarygoers hard, she said.

"The children’s room had to be relocated to the upstairs. We have overheard the kids say, 'We miss our space. It just isn’t the same,'” Beline noted, adding that some of the adult collections had to be moved to other areas of the library. Also, with the main branch meeting room out of commission, many community groups have had to meet at , while some library programs were relocated to either  the Hiawatha branch, to the building or to the .

The library damage affected the educational process too, according to Beline.

"Tutors do not have access to our downstairs tutoring rooms. so now they are competing with the small community meeting groups and student study groups to use our upstairs small meeting room space," she said. "The library board room has been transformed into a book processing office."

 Beline said some of the repair work addresses damage that pre-dated Irene. Heavy rain in March caused what she called "water infiltration issues."

"The experts think that moisture could have started building behind the sheet rock after that storm, but the air quality tests after Irene showed that the air quality was good

Repair work, which includes installing new interior and exterior drains,  replacing molding and putting in a new generator, generator pad and additional electrical wiring, will cost $200,055, said Beline.

"The township insurance company will pay $44,088 of the total. The Township will pay the rest," she stated, and said the fee includes architect’s fees, mold remediation and air quality testing.

The Township Council already approved nearly $500,000 in an emergency appropriation in October to cover the work. Business Administrator Jasmine Lim said the unused funds will be reallocated for other pressing township purposes. 

Beline said she does not know yet when the work will be completed, but she said the contractor doing the job knows that time is of the essence.

"He is a Parsippany resident, so he is very aware that we want this work completed as quickly as possible," she said.