The Oregon branch of the Toledo Lucas County Public Library is preparing to welcome patrons back after months-long renovations because of a plumbing failure.
“We’re thrilled. I mean, we can’t go anywhere in the community without folks saying, ‘When's Oregon going to open?’ So, I'm glad we can finally say Thursday,” Jason Kucsma, the library system’s executive director, said Tuesday.
The building at 3340 Dustin Rd. closed in August after a waterline break caused extensive water damage throughout the branch.
“The branch did take on a significant amount of damage, but crews were in quickly to dry out the building, assess the damage, and they boxed up all of our books and got them out,” said Brooke Cox, branch manager.
“The good news is that none of our collection was damaged,” she said. “All of our books, our computers — all of that was unfazed.”
Over the past few months, the library worked with its insurance company and a restoration company on mitigation efforts, officials said, including a complete drying out of the building, removing and replacing any damaged drywall, removing and replacing all the carpeting, and removing and replacing in-floor electrical elements that were impaired.
“We spent the last six months or so really working through all the permitting processes, working with contractors, working to get the supplies in here,” Mr. Kucsma said.
“So in essence, the Oregon branch is almost a new branch opening here Thursday,” he said.
While the library initially thought the repair process would be only a few days, the damage turned out to be greater than anticipated.
“We run 20 buildings, so water leaks happen, and we expected when this thing happened that it was going to be something we could turn around — might be closed for a day or two,” Mr. Kucsma said. “But as we dug into this work, we realized it was far more extensive.
“We are so grateful for everyone’s patience throughout this whole process. We did not have a whole lot of control over the timetable, but we appreciate that the community here has been so forgiving and giving us grace to get this place up and up and running the right way,” he said.
Noticing the recent influx of cars in the parking lot, area residents have been stopping by in hopes that the branch was already open.
“The staff has been here trying to get things reshelved and get things back up in order, and people are still coming to the door, trying to come in,” Mr. Kucsma said. “We’re thrilled that we know the community is going to be super excited.”
The Oregon staff worked at various places, which helped them stay productive during the closure.
“We’ve all been working at other locations out and about and around Lucas County, so we’re very lucky in that sense that there were places we could go and help out,” Ms. Cox said.
While working at the Main Library in downtown Toledo and the Birmingham and Locke branches, the staff saw many Oregon patrons, she said.
“I can’t thank the Oregon community and customers enough for their support and patience with us as we worked through all of this,” Ms. Cox said. “I can promise you their excitement to get back in the building is matched by our staff.”
A reopening celebration for the public is set for 9 a.m. Thursday, with light refreshments available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Normal library hours are 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Sunday hours of 1 to 5 p.m. are set to resume Feb. 2, and programming restarts Feb. 3.
First Published January 22, 2025, 3:59 p.m.
