On Wednesday morning, the library experienced flooding from a leaking hot water pipe fitting. This flooding caused extensive damage in the old library entrance (now an emergency exit/staff door) and the elevator hallway where the Friends of Tredyffrin Public Library store donated books, where the ceiling opened and water penetrated through much of those materials. There is also extensive damage to the sheetrock, lighting, and drop ceilings throughout that whole area.
We are grateful to the Township Head of Public Works for his immediate response and assistance shutting the library’s water off and working to mitigate the damage as fast as possible. The Township is also assisting us with the claim process.
Also on Wednesday, Servpro removed wet materials, vacuumed out the water, removed damaged sheetrock, ceiling tiles and light fixtures, and set up fans throughout the affected area. A dumpster remains in the parking lot to hold damaged materials. As of today, some fans were able to be removed but some will remain through the weekend.
Electricians shut off power Wednesday morning to allow for assessment of damage to light fixtures and shorting. Electricians will return to the building on Tuesday to assess and hopefully restore power. Many lights were damaged and shorted and will require replacement.
We had to temporarily and partially disable the sprinkler and fire detection systems to prevent false alarms that could trigger if there was water in the ceiling.
It is currently unsafe for the public to access the Tredyffrin Public Library building because of the lack of electricity, fire and sprinkler detection systems, the multiple fans, and the debris. We hope to reopen the building sometime next week. Until we can do so, our librarians are providing contactless pick up, and virtual programs continue for all ages. We have requested that patrons not use our book drops, and directed all to Paoli Library, which is undamaged and open.
Again, we thank you for your support of the library and hope you are safe and dry after these challenging storms. Should you have any questions, please reach out to me here.
Sincerely,
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