Library Suffers Water Damage

FERNDALE — The Ferndale Public Library recently suffered extensive water damage as a result of a plumbing failure in the library’s mechanical room. Librarian Pat Lind discovered the damage on the morning of Nov. 26, and a disaster recovery firm was called in to assess the damage and begin remediation of the building. Fortunately, the library’s book and media collections were unharmed by the damage, as were all furniture and computers in the library’s public areas. The children’s library was also unaffected. However, the Friends of the Ferndale Library’s used bookstore lost several books, as a considerable amount of water infiltrated the small room. Library Director Doug Raber assured the public that taxpayers and library benefactors will not be paying for the cleanup work. At this point, Raber said, insurance companies for the library and its contractors will conduct claims investigations to determine the cause, amount and responsibility for repair costs. Restoration work at the library continued over the weekend, and at press time, the building was expected to reopen sometime this week. water damage manhattan