Virginia Woolf / Stuff
A detailed earthquake risk report at the Elma Turner Library showed the decision to close it early last month was the right one, the council chair says.
Nelson’s main library could partially open to the public in just over a week.
The Elma Turner Library was closed in early June after revelations that heavy ceiling tiles in both Nelson City Council’s Civic House and the library building posed an earthquake risk.
Tiles in the library turned out to be “much heavier” than expected, weighing between 8 and 11 kg, and with potentially vulnerable library users, it was decided to close the library. Ceiling tiles weighing more than 7.5 kg pose an earthquake risk if not properly secured.
On Friday, the municipality said in a statement that a pop-up library would be opened in the children’s area of the building on Monday, July 25, and that the activity room was on condition that work to bring the area into a safe place was completed.
READ MORE:
* Council ‘puts people’s lives at risk’ with information hidden from councilors
* Nelson’s council chair had been aware of earthquake problems for months without warning elected members
* New $44 Million Riverside Library Project Proposed for Nelson
The pop-up library would operate according to normal library hours.
The council said a detailed “limited scope” seismic assessment (DSA) had been completed and found not only “widespread” heavy ceiling tiles, but the ceiling grid holding them up in parts of the building contained less than 34% of build the new Standard.
Buildings below 34% of the standard are considered earthquake prone.
The council said three risk categories had been identified in the building.
Most of the public areas of Elma Turner Library, including the children’s area, the issuing area, the Maitai River and Halifax sides of the library, and the research area, were at risk.
Most of the staff rooms, computer room, activity room and foyer were in the medium risk category and the lowest risk was in the entrance hall, staff room exit route, low occupancy areas and parts of the building with GIB ceilings.
Council director Pat Dougherty said the results showed it was the right decision to close the library once the weight of the tiles was discovered.
The-Nelson-Mail
Pat Dougherty, chairman of Nelson City Council, says the council is committed to solving library problems much earlier than the 25-year time frame to fix earthquake-prone buildings.
“We had information about the weight of the tiles, but we didn’t know enough about the grid that those tiles were in and what that meant for the NBS classification. This report makes it clear that parts of the library do not meet the 34% NBS threshold, and because of the weight of the tiles and the lack of furniture (to provide cover in the event of an earthquake) in a building like this, the risk is greater than what we feel comfortable with.”
He said there was usually a 25-year window to restore earthquake-prone buildings, but the council was “committed to addressing these issues much earlier”.
The first work will bring the children’s area and activity room to 67% of the NBS and would be paid for with an existing $200,000 budget for strengthening the work.
It is not yet known how long or how much it will cost to bring the rest of the library up to earthquake safety standards.