Malia Riggs
Elmore Autauga News
The Prattville-Autauga Public Library closed last week due to the west wall of the main library room being unstable and needing immediate repairs due to structural issues. Ray Boles, chairman of the Prattville-Autauga Library Board, spoke at Tuesday evening’s Autauga County Commission meeting, providing commissioners with an update regarding the issue.
The structural issues in question include cracks and other foundation problems along the west wall of the library. The crack was discovered last week by interim library director Tammy Bear, and after further investigation there was additional damage discovered inside and outside of the building.
Boles confirmed that a third-party engineer, Day Structures, was called the same day the cracks were noticed, and they advised to close the building until the proper repairs can be made. Boles shared the emailed findings with EAN, and Day Structures stated in an email that existing conditions warrants immediate closure of the main room of the library. They said the area should remain closed until at least the short-term repairs mentioned can be completed.
Some of the damage Day Structures cited in the email includes major cracking in the foundation walls along the north and south sides adjacent to the west end, and downward deflection of the floor slab causing the west end wall to rotate forward.
The email also cited the that the wall is constructed of unreinforced concrete masonry units in straight stack, a construction type that can lead to instantaneous failure without prior indication of major distress.
In the meeting Boles stated that there is also about an inch of space between the ceiling tiles and the ceiling and additional bricks cracking on the outside of the building.
“In the long term, it is our opinion that the continued settlement of the foundation along the west end of the building must be remediated in order to prevent continued outward rotation of the west wall and stop cracking damage to the north and south walls. This can be done using new foundations and supports beneath the edge of the cantilevered slab, or through remedial support installation (underpinning, helical anchors, etc.) under the existing foundation. Remediation of the existing foundation may be extremely difficult due to lack of access for installation because of the cantilevered slab,” Day Structures stated in the emailed findings.
In the short term, Day Structures suggested immediate repairs to stabilize the wall consist of steel angle braces utilized to attach the top of the wall to the first interior bar joist and thus to the roof diaphragm as was intended based on the original structural details that were provided, the email reads.
Services at the Prattville-Autauga Library have been moved to surrounding libraries in the county until the immediate repairs can be made, Boles stated. However, the immediate repairs are only a temporary fix. Boles confirmed that in five to 10 years a new library will need to be built due to the damages discovered last week.
However, with the library being closed, Boles confirmed all library staff and personnel are still working.
“We are going to pay our employees so nobody will miss a paycheck, and they are going to work their regular hours. We’re shifting some employees to Marbury, some to Billingsley and some are staying in the building because they can stay in the other part of the building and help with cataloging the books and getting caught up on other paperwork,” Boles said.
While the Prattville library is closed to the public, Boles also confirmed they will take advantage of the closure and redo the floors in the kid’s area that have been donated. The floors need replacing due to mildew from a leaky window, which would have been a three-day shut down for the renovations, Boles confirmed.
“We’ve opened the other branches up a little bit longer, and they’re going out there. And basically, we’re just getting everything done that needs to get done. All the busy work is what we’re focused on right now. But what I did not want to do is have our employees not get paid. This was unforeseen by everybody,” Boles said.
Boles went on to thank the commissioners for their support of the library stating they have been a vital part of the library’s operations.
“I hope we can get the library up and running as fast and as safely as possible,” Boles said.
Other libraries available:
Autaugaville (located in Town Hall): Services as usual
Address: 109 N. Taylor Street, Autaugaville, AL 36003
Phone Number: 334-361-2096
Hours: Tuesday: 8 am – 2 pm, Wednesday: 9 am – 2 pm, Friday: 9 am – 5 pm
Billingsley (located in Town Hall): Library services as usual
Activities and Services: Afterschool Storytime: Thursday 3:30-4:30pm, Recommended ages 3-5; siblings welcome
Address: 2021 Office Street, Billingsley, AL 36006
Phone Number: 205-755-9809
Hours: Monday: 8 am – 5 pm, Thursday: 8 am – 5 pm
Marbury: Services as usual
Activities and Services: Storytime: Tuesday 10:30 am, Recommended ages 3-5; siblings welcome
Toddler Time: Wednesday 10:30 am, Recommended ages 18 months – 3; siblings welcome
Baby Time: Friday 10:30 am, Recommended ages birth -18 months; siblings welcome
Notary Services: Monday – Thursday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm , Friday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Address: 205 County Road 20 E., Marbury, AL 36051
Phone Number: 205-755-8575
Hours: Monday-Friday 8 am – 5 pm
Prattville: Limited Services and closed to the public
Limited Services: Return of checked out items via drop box or back door drop off; renewal of checked out items via phone call. Please see below for more information.
All branches have a drop box return for the return of books and audio materials. We also have a drop box for books and audio materials at the Willis Bradford YMCA, 972 McQueen Smith Road S, Prattville, AL 36066.
Address: 254 Doster St, Prattville, AL 36067
Phone Number: 334-365-3396
Hours: Monday-Friday 10 am – 5 pm
