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Water covered the lower-level floors of the East Central Regional Library headquarters following the Aug. 18 rain that flooded downtown Cambridge.
Water covered the lower-level floors of the East Central Regional Library headquarters following the Aug. 18 rain that flooded downtown Cambridge.
It isn’t unusual for parts of downtown Cambridge to fall victim to street flooding during heavier rains. In particular, North Main Street near GTI Theater and Steve’s Tire, along with Highway 95 just west of the railroad tracks are traditionally vulnerable to such deluges. After receiving what was commonly reported as five inches of rain in under two hours, however, other areas of the city also found themselves having to clean up last Wednesday, Aug. 17. One of the specific areas of note was the two-year-old Cambridge Public Library.
Rachel Garrett Howell, Assistant Director of the East Central Regional Library arrived back in her office after a week’s vacation Monday and learned of the floods. Water flooded the headquarters of the library, which is on the lower level of the building, along with portions of the upstairs.
The library closed for the day on Aug. 18 for a clean-up and to assess any damage the water might have caused. Luckily, though the waters came close to the computers and children’s section, damages were limited to carpeting and drywall.
The lower level where the ECRL headquarters is housed was the hardest hit with windows on the west side of the building that face the courtyard are located. Drains from the roof quickly flooded the courtyard in the downpour and sent water in through the lower-level windows.
“Contractors have brought in large fans and are drying everything out,” Howell said.
Baseboards on the lower level of the building in the flooded areas were removed by Service Master Restore so they could assess if there was any structural damage.
Doug Norberg of Service Master confirmed on Tuesday that the structure was dried out and there was no significant damage to the building. Tuesday contractors were on site packing up all the dehumidifiers and large fans that had been brought in for the clean-up.
Though the Service Master contractors assured library staff that the Great Northern Room on the lower level would be dried out by Friday, the North 65 Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club of Cambridge and Isanti proactively decided to move the New Teacher Luncheon that was scheduled for Friday, Aug. 26 from the library’s Great Northern room to the First Baptist Church, 304 Main Street S.
Howell stated normal library operations and services would continue, but if after everything was dried it is determined that carpeting or drywall would need to be replaced, the library will notify the public of any operations or service disruptions via its website or Facebook page. For now, the library is grateful for the community’s patience while they deal with the clean-up from this unusual force of nature.
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