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The temporary trailer that will house the Westhampton Free Library for at least the next 18 months did not open on Monday, as originally scheduled, and is now expected to open this Friday, September 26, according to Library Director Matt Bollerman.
The library has been closed since September 6, when officials shuttered its doors in preparation of the building’s pending demolition, which is needed to make room for a new $7.8 million facility.
Additionally, the demolition of the old library, tentatively scheduled for later this fall, cannot be started until asbestos is removed from the building, Mr. Bollerman announced this week. Asbestos, a carcinogen, is a material that is commonly found in older buildings.
“Because it’s an old building, the library is responsible to remove asbestos,” Mr. Bollerman said, noting that the building was constructed in 1908. “It’s a minor job.”
Library Trustee Hank Tucker echoed Mr. Bollerman assessment on Wednesday, noting that there is no public health concern regarding the asbestos in the library.
He added that the discovery of asbestos is “not something new that popped up.” In fact, Mr. Tucker, who also serves on the Westhampton Beach Village Board, said library trustees had allotted money for the removal of the asbestos in the beginning phases of the renovation project.
The New York State Department of Labor must sign off on the removal of the asbestos, Mr. Bollerman noted.
The library’s temporary home—the 5,000-square-foot modular trailer located at 28 Library Avenue in Westhampton Beach, just south of the existing library—is currently still lacking a required certificate of occupancy from the village as of earlier this week. Additionally, library officials were still waiting for officials to hook up the modular trailer to public water, Mr. Bollerman said.
The modular trailer will function as the library’s home for about 18 months, while the old library is demolished and the new 14,250-square-foot library is constructed. The project was approved by community residents nearly a year ago.
Construction work on the new library was originally expected to begin last spring. However, an earlier snag in the library renovation process delayed officials from securing the necessary approvals for the placement of the modular trailer. The discovery of petroleum contamination at 28 Library Avenue required extensive remediation and approvals from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Suffolk County Department of Health Services.
Unlike the petroleum contamination, library trustees were aware of the asbestos contamination at the beginning of the process, according to Mr. Bollerman. The library is 100 years old this year and had been expanded several times over the years.
Asbestos was found in some of the older additions, Mr. Bollerman explained. He said the entire library has been tested and the results indicated that there is enough of the carcinogen to require its removal prior to demolition.
Mr. Bollerman said he does not know how much asbestos has been found in the library, or which company was contracted to complete the testing.
The company that will oversee the demolition of the library, Southampton-based Guillo Construction Corporation, will arrange to have a subcontractor remove the asbestos, Mr. Bollerman said. Because the contract with Guillo Construction Corp has not yet been officially signed—it has only been awarded—Mr. Bollerman could not provide exact dates for the asbestos abatement process or the demolition of the building.
The asbestos abatement process is expected to take about two weeks to complete, Mr. Bollerman added.
