By mid-November, the grit blasting to remove ceiling paint judged to be the primary cause of the airborne PCB in Kent Memorial Library had been completed, and attention was directed to the floor, from which all the carpet squares and faux wood flooring had been removed, leaving adhesive residue. With all the windows blanked out by plastic to protect the glass, library aficionados couldn’t watch the work, but it’s certainly been gratifying to hear reports on the progress.
Following the blasting and application of the epoxy encapsulant (the chemical folks don’t like calling it “paint”) and the successful completion of air quality tests, the rest of the work of putting the library back together can begin, including pipes and conduits on the ceiling, the rearranged book shelves, and the bathrooms.
For the historical room, Facilities Director Julie Oakes reports that a small change in the location of a fire sprinkler head will provide the necessary clearance, so work on putting the room back in use should be able to proceed. The new compact shelving for that room was delivered many months ago and must be installed. New seating for the auditorium (with reduced capacity to allow for up-to-date standards of accessibility) is expected in January for immediate installation then.
If there are no big surprises in the upcoming months, it still looks like February or March before the job of moving in will be complete.