Persistent leaks one for the books

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/05/2024 (707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For about two years, persistent leaks have trickled into a Winnipeg public library that could soon become a protected heritage building.

As rain poured down outside the Fort Garry library branch Tuesday, a few large white buckets collected drops of water inside the facility’s children’s section, where tarps lined parts of the ceiling and topped some sections of bookshelves. A hose guided water into one pail, while a separate blue bucket caught moisture beside a computer.

A leak in the computer area started in June 2022 due to a damaged window sill and is now “in the process” of being fixed, said city spokesman Adam Campbell in an email. Meanwhile, a separate leak in the children’s area started in April 2022 and “several tests” on the roof have failed to locate the source, Campbell said.

“We’ve since hired a roofing consultant to help find the source of (that) leak. While we’re hopeful to have this addressed over the next few months, we don’t have a definite timeline for the repair. In the interim, we have several measures in place to protect the facility and the books,” wrote Campbell.

Some longtime patrons alleged the lengthy repair timeline is due to insufficient library funding.

“(Libraries are) such a resource and they’re so under-resourced and underutilized. It just seems kind of crazy that we’re trying to prevent soggy books (while a leak continues). I don’t want to be too blunt but how expensive could a roof repair be?” said Alison Mercer, who grew up in the area and often visits the library.

In 2020, Mercer raised a petition to prevent the Fort Garry branch from closing, which the city was considering but ultimately rejected.

The leaks are occurring as a proposal has called to add the library branch to Winnipeg’s list of historical resources, which would protect it against demolition.

Mercer said she hopes the listing is approved and the designation provides a greater incentive to maintain the key community space.

“Maintaining something we already have is always a better option than scrapping it and starting over. If you can’t afford (to fix) a roof leak, then are you going to build a whole new building?” she said.

Joe Curnow, an advocate who has pushed the city to increase library funding, said the amount spent in recent years has been “totally inadequate.”

“We can see that not only for these structural repair issues but also for staffing, also for programming, also for collections,” said Curnow, a member of Millennium for All, a library advocacy group.

While closure plans have never been approved, Curnow alleges the city has kept library funding so low that facilities like the Fort Garry branch are at “the point of collapse.”

“It’s an extremely well-used library, so the city just needs to step up and do the work to maintain it. We’ve seen this cycle of neglect, when they don’t invest and they don’t manage small problems, they become large problems … Small leaks can become huge problems and then cost far more (to fix),” she said.

Curnow said Winnipeg would need 85 more full-time staff positions at its 20 public libraries to raise service levels to match those of other cities, based on a 2023 city report. She said there’s little public information on how much capital spending is required to maintain library buildings.

Coun. Sherri Rollins, the head of council’s property and development committee, said it can take extra time to determine how to fix an issue within an aging building.

“For sure, the amount of capital dollars to fix things could be better, always. We have limited dollars to fix buildings in the city, generally speaking, including libraries. But (to repair something) you’re needing to determine what the fix is … and sometimes it takes time to diagnose the issue, especially in older buildings,” said Rollins.

The councillor, whose Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry ward includes the library that opened in 1960, said she understands residents’ fears about potential water damage.

“Of course, I’m concerned about the leaks … That’s always a factor in libraries and archives, that you do not want water, period, full stop. That’s very bad for text and paper,” she said.

Rollins indicated she does expect city council will approve the proposal to add the library to the city’s list of historical resources.

“Generally, if libraries are beloved and heritage indicates something that we really want to preserve, then three libraries are very likely to get (designated) here,” she said, noting two former libraries in St. Boniface are also nominated.

The city’s historical buildings and resources committee will vote on the potential designations Friday, which would require council approval.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

X: @joyanne_pursaga