Meadville library reopening with numerous improvements following January fire

June 01--Gertrude Giraffe will show off her new hips and restored ears as she once again welcomes patrons to the Children's Room when the Meadville Public Library reopens today. For the first time since a Jan. 31 fire, the library will be back in its usual location after operating "The Twig," a small temporary branch, from late February to late May in the nearby Parkside Commons.

Gertrude, the 14-year-old, 6-foot-tall newspaper-stuffed mascot that watches over the Children's Room circulation desk, won't be the only new and improved part of the library.

"We'll have completed about five years' worth of improvements in about five months," Executive Director John Brice said as he led a tour around last-minute preparations and past a variety of new features Thursday. "We've gotten a lot done very quickly."

The library boasts an all-new heating and ventilation plant and updated electrical systems as well as new Children's Room carpeting and ceiling, according to Brice. In addition, the library and its contents have been cleaned twice -- once immediately following the fire and then again as construction has been completed, Brice said. All told, repairs directly related to the fire that ravaged the library's boiler room have totaled $600,000. So far, Brice added, the library's insurance company has approved all of the expenses that have been submitted.

But improvements at the library have not been limited to repairing fire damage. Brice and his staff also took advantage of the building's four-month closure to launch the 21st Century Meadville Library Project to update both the library's services and its facility. Since March, the campaign has raised $75,000. More than $50,000 has been spent on improvements to every level of the building, many of which will be evident when patrons return today. Others -- like the media production room planned for the main floor -- will be under construction for several more months, according to Brice.

Another incomplete part of the repairs will likely prove more significant to visitors over the weekend. Brice does not expect the air conditioning to be working until early next week due to a delay in shipping some of the parts.

Despite the fact that repairs and improvements are not 100 percent complete, the library was committed to reopening at the beginning of June, according to Brice. Similarly, despite the extended nature of the closure, the time and cost of renovations were worth it.

"We decided we had to do it," Brice said.

It's not every day that a library has the opportunity for the kind of renovations that have been undertaken, according to Brice. The recent closure of the Meadville Public Library was the first of its kind since the library underwent a 7-month renovation in 1970, he said.

Visitors are likely to notice changes to the Children's Room and the main floor especially. The space next to the children's circulation desk that used to contain computers has been converted to a craft center.

The library's computers have been centralized to an area of the main floor, and there are fewer of them now. Brice said use of the library's computers has decreased sharply in the last few years as more and more people are bringing their own laptops or devices. The patrons using such devices will be pleased to see a new charging station and plenty of new power outlets on the main floor.

Kids should notice another change just a few feet from the new Children's Room craft center. Where a helicopter-themed play structure formerly stood, they will now find a mostly-new four-level castle.

The castle incorporates much of the helicopter, which had itself once been a fishing trawler and before that a sailboat, according to Brice, who demonstrated his flexibility by crawling up to the balcony during Thursday's tour of the library.

The improvements also include safety upgrades to make the library compliant with contemporary building codes. The building now contains five times as many smoke and heat detectors as it had before the fire, Brice said, including detectors in the attic, which had previously lacked them, and an alarm that automatically notifies the fire department.

The previous safety equipment "should have notified the fire department before," Brice said, "but for whatever reason that day it didn't."

The attention of library staff on Thursday was focused on the future, however, not the fire that caused more than enough damage despite being limited to a single room.

"'Thrilled' is the only word for it," said Mary Lee Minnis, assistant director and head of youth services. "We are home."

After turning people away in recent days, Minnis and other staff members were excited to open the doors.

"That way, everyone can see the books are just fine," Minnis said, "and the building is just fine."

They expect a big crowd today, Minnis said.

After all, that's when all the items checked out before the temporary Twig location closed will be due.

Mike Crowley can be reached at 724-6370 or by email at [email protected].

You can go

The Meadville Public Library, 848 N. Main St., reopens today after being closed since a fire on Jan. 31. Doors open "around noon," according to Executive Director John Brice.

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