At its special meeting on Tuesday, the Norman City Council will go into executive session to discuss a possible claim regarding the Norman Public Library Central remediation project, a five-month-long plan to remediate the facility after mold was identified.
According to Chief Communications Officer Tiffany Vrska, the library will remain closed until “a build-back plan” is fully developed, which is “dependent on several factors.” Vrksa noted Curtainwall Design Consulting, an independent design and consulting firm from Dallas, will attend the meeting to discuss findings.
Vrska said updates can be found through Norman’s rolling updates webpage, which includes updates from November 2023 onward.
In November, Cavins Group found traces of mold, including black mold and fusarium, on each level of the facility. The city said water intrusion issues on the roof led to the molding.
On Nov. 28, Pioneer Library Systems Executive Director Lisa Wells said the Norman Public Library Central would be closed for five months while Cavins Group continued servicing the facility. Wells added all 64 of the Norman Central Library’s employees would be reassigned to 11 other Pioneer locations.
In February, Pioneer Library Systems opened a popup location at 121 South Santa Fe Ave., Suite 119. The location houses programming, the Maker Lab and Movie Boxes.
As of March 22, remediation has cost $500,000 and has been paid for by the city’s emergency reserve fund, according to the rolling updates site.
This story was edited by Peggy Dodd. Ryan Little and Avery Avery copy edited this story.
