Thursday, January 16, 2025
Following thousands of dollars’ worth of water damage and mold concerns that led to the closure of the Gatesville Public Library in September, the Gatesville City Council approved additional funding for the building’s repairs.
The council approved obligating $473,000 of leftover federal COVID relief funds toward three contracts with GG Construction for the library and City Hall roof repairs at a meeting on Dec. 10.
The city received approximately $3 million in relief funds under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021, which delivered $350 billion in aid to local governments across the country following the outbreak of COVID-19. Recipients must obligate any remaining Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) under ARPA before the end of the year, according to the deadline set by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
“In order to keep the funds, we need to be in contract, not just say it’s in the budget or have a resolution, but an actual contract by December 31,” Deputy City Manager Mike Halsema said.
Halsema said the funds will mainly cover construction purposes for the library and not cover the replacement of lost materials or books.
The city will allocate around $311,000 of the funds for library rehabilitation under the first contract. This includes replacing flooring, repairing and repainting the interior walls, and moving the stored shelving back into place.
The second contract will obligate $99,000 toward roof repairs at City Hall, which received damage during severe weather events in the spring. The third contract will allocate nearly $20,000 for additional rehabilitation at the library, such as restoring the kitchen and work area countertops and cabinets and replacing existing water fountains.
The three contracts are not to exceed $430,000, and the remainder of the $473,000 will cover ARPA interest funds. The contracts are with GG Construction - the firm that also performed mold remediation at the library.
Around $2.6 million of the ARPA funds were previously obligated to the city’s Lovers Lane and water production clarifier rehabilitation projects.
The City of Gatesville closed the library after a patron found books on the shelves with water damage. According to a previous press release, the cause of the water damage was most likely related to roof damage received during storms in the spring.
Although testing deemed that the air quality in the building was at safe levels, the library lost about 27,000 books – around $500,000 worth – due to water damage and concerns about mold.
Library Director Shea Harp said during the meeting that the library is also looking at other grants to help replace the services and content lost to the damage. The Friends of the Gatesville Public Library along with local cities and organizations are also helping the library replace lost materials. In early December, Gatesville’s HEB donated $50,000 to Friends of the Gatesville Public Library to help replace the books lost in closure.
The Gatesville Public Library’s temporary location is at City Hall on 803 E Main Street. Harp said that the library hopes to reopen in March or April.
