A year after water damage shuttered the Tustin Library, restoration begins – Orange County Register

One year to the month when the Tustin Library suddenly closed following the discovery of a slow water leak in its sub-floor, repairs to the main building are finally under way.

The library, one of the busiest in the Orange County system, should be up and running by mid-summer, Assistant City Manager Matt West said.

Meanwhile, the county opened a pared-down library in the Civic Center courtyard in August that will remain in service during construction, West said.

• A temporary library has been set up inside the community room next to the Tustin Library in Tustin on Friday, Mar 9, 2018. Repairs of the Tustin Library, most of which has been closed for a year, finally will begin this month. The library was damaged by a water leak. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

• 

  Books sit in the hallway next to the Tustin Library in Tustin on Friday, Mar 9, 2018. Repairs of the Tustin Library, most of which has been closed for a year, finally will begin this month. The library was damaged by a water leak. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

• 

  Bruce Bowton, left, and James Dussen, relax inside a temporary library set up inside the community room next to the Tustin Library in Tustin on Friday, Mar 9, 2018. Repairs of the Tustin Library, most of which has been closed for a year, finally will begin this month. The library was damaged by a water leak. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

• 

  A temporary library has been set up inside the community room next to the Tustin Library in Tustin on Friday, Mar 9, 2018. Repairs of the Tustin Library, most of which has been closed for a year, finally will begin this month. The library was damaged by a water leak. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

• 

  A temporary shelter sits in the courtyard next to the Tustin Library in Tustin on Friday, Mar 9, 2018. Repairs of the Tustin Library, most of which has been closed for a year, finally will begin this month. The library was damaged by a water leak. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The fresh-air setting has at least allowed for children’s programs to continue. And a community room that escaped the leak has provided space for a limited selection of popular titles.

Landlord Tustin, which leases the property to the county, is responsible for repairs. The city’s insurance carrier will foot the $1.3 million bill for the renovation.

Fixes include electrical wiring, plumping, insulation, carpet and heating and air conditioning system, West said.

The job also involves extensive cleaning, although the dampness was dried out with huge fans before mold developed, he said.

The library’s 105,000 books, furniture and computers were unaffected.

What took so long to get the repairs going? Well, municipalities must wade through a lot of red tape, West said.

“We were unable to get this restoration identified as an emergency project, so we had to go through the standard bidding process as required under the state public contract code,” West said.

That meant, among other stipulations, the city had to hire a third party to provide “a detailed analysis and determination of what needed to occur,” West said.

The project will include an unintended bonus: New and improved technology features.

“We will update the internet cabling to be the most current available,” West said.

Jane Deeley, a librarian at Tustin Library, is one of many who will welcome the facility’s grand reopening.

“Our patrons are really excited,” Deeley said. “A library is such an important part of a community.”

www.ocregister.com

https://www.ocregister.com/2018/03/13/a-year-after-water-damage-shuttered-the-tustin-library-restoration-begins/