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A lengthy discussion between the Rockbridge Regional Library board of trustees and representatives of the city of Buena Vista offered little insight on when the library would return to the building on Magnolia Avenue, but did produce one conclusion: Better communication between the two entities would help avoid further issues in the future.
Buena Vista Mayor Bill Fitzgerald, City Manager Jason Tyree and City Attorney Brian Kearney attended the board of trustees’ meeting last Thursday at St. John’s United Methodist Church to discuss the state of the library building and when the library, which moved to a temporary location at the church, could return to the building. Issues were first raised last month when Buena Vista Library branch manager Elaina Skovira reported to the board that she had noticed brick dust falling in two opposite corners of the library, prompting concern about the structural integrity of the building.
At its January meeting, the board voted to vacate the library until an engineering inspection could be done to determine whether the building was structurally sound.
A visible inspection of the building conducted by Nick Brash, president of Comprehensive Construction Services Inc., a Roanoke-based construction consulting firm, on Feb. 1 determined that the building doesn’t “exhibit any significant danger to the public at this time,” but noted several areas where some repairs were needed, most notably with several floor joists having dropped or deteriorated.
The report also noted that the inspection was limited to what could be seen through foundation vents and by using a small periscope, and that since there didn’t seem to be any adequate entrance into the crawl space under the building and only about 6 inches of clearance between the bottom of the joists and the ground, “there is no way a human can fit within this space to conduct an inspection of each of the joists.”
Brash concluded the report by recommending that “maintenance crews as well as the library staff alert [the city] to any potential problems with the structure and have the areas reexamined by an engineer.”
In addition to the floor joists, Brash said that several parts of the old jail building behind the library were noted to have cracks in the masonry, most likely due to water seeping into the wall and rusting the lintel angles over the windows. When the rust expands, it pushed upward on the masonry, resulting in the cracks and demarcation lines in the wall around the windows. - Both Kearny and Fitzgerald expressed frustration that the city was not made aware of the decision to vacate the building prior to the move, with Fitzgerald commenting that he’s had “a hard time dealing with” Rockbridge Regional Library Director Julie Goyette over the years.
“It’s never been my intention to irritate city hall, or you, in any way,” Goyette replied. “When we have problems, I do report them … I’m not trying to irritate anybody or cause any problems or not communicate with you in any way, and I would look forward to meeting with you on a monthly basis so we can address these matters and stay on top of them.”
Tyree noted that Goyette did send him an email about the decision to vacate the library, but he didn’t see it until the next day because the Buena Vista City Council meeting held the same night ran late. Goyette apologized for not communicating better on the issue.
“I dropped the ball, and I’ll apologize for that as well, because I should have followed up on the message to make sure that you knew what was happening and when,” she said.
Several board members also raised concerns over the fact that the building has a history of flooding during periods of heavy rain, when water flows into the building through a back door, with some members questioning why there was nothing in the inspection report regarding the flooding.
Kearney explained that the flooding was a maintenance issue, not a structural issue and was thus not a part of what the engineers were looking for during their inspection.
Both Tyree and Fitzgerald said they were aware of the flooding issue and were looking at potential solutions for diverting water from the building to avoid further flooding in the future. One solution that was discussed was sealing the door to prevent water from getting into the building, as a short-term solution to allow the library to return to the building. A more permanent solution for diverting the water would be implemented at a later time.
The board’s primary concern with returning to the building was for the safety of the staff and patrons of the library, as multiple members noted.
“It seems like your bottom line is ‘get back in the building,’” said board member the Rev. McKinley Williams. “Well, we don’t mind getting back in the building if the building is safe. And that’s the bottom line. If the building isn’t safe, I can’t cosign on us moving back in … You’ve got your job, but we’ve got ours, and I don’t think we’re being diligent if we cosign just because you want us back in the building, for whatever reason.”
“I just want what is best for the people of the city and what’s best for the library,” added board member Thomas Bell. “And if it comes down to it and we have to move back in [right now], I will grudgingly do it, but I find it hard to believe that’s what’s best for everyone. I want what’s best for our city … and I’m very glad to hear that the roof is not going to collapse on [that] beautiful building, but every way I look at it … and it’s not ideal, but maybe what’s best for the city is right here.”
A larger issue raised at the meeting was a lack in clear communication, not just around the board’s decision to temporarily vacate the library building, but with general issues concerning the library, something that Kearney reiterated throughout the discussion, requesting that at least some representatives of the board meet with the city on a regular basis to keep the city apprised of any issues that may arise with the building. Goyette and other board members said they would be happy to meet with the city in that capacity going forward.
“I think you’re spot on [about the lack of communication],” said board member Julie Whipple. “I think half the issue is just that we have the same end goal in mind, but we have different ideas on how we get there.”
No agreement was reached at the board meeting regarding a timeline to get back into the building. Tyree, Kearney, and Fitzgerald all pledged to work on sealing the back door to the library to prevent future flooding of the building.
