Town celebrates library’s return from flooding

Patrons say they are thrilled to have their library back. It reopened Aug. 9 following $130,000 in repairs and renovations prompted by the March floods. An official welcoming celebration is planned for 2 to 5 p.m. Sept. 12, with the festivities to include entertainment and family activities.

“I’m very happy to see they are open again,’’ said Maureen DeJong, a Wayland resident who frequents the library to pick up books, magazines, and videos for herself and her mother. “It’s a small library with a big heart. I was welcomed back with a hug.’’

Library director Ann Knight said it’s been a long road but she’s excited to be back in operation. Since the building reopened, Knight said, residents have poured in bringing flowers, hugs, and thanks.

“It was really hard not being able to serve the public,’’ Knight said. “We’re thrilled to be back — it’s the living room of the community. It’s heartwarming to see how much the library was missed.’’

Knight said Wayland was hit hard by the March rainstorms that battered communities across the state. She said the library’s staff, town workers and supporters tried to keep up with the rising flood levels, but after the third major rainfall in late March they were overwhelmed, and there was standing water in the building for several days.

“Water just kept coming in and they just couldn’t stop it,’’ said Aida Gennis, chairwoman of the library trustees. “It was absolutely unbelievable to think that the library was really closed.’’

The building’s entire lower level, which houses administrative offices, a processing area, a program room, and a children’s area, had to be rebuilt.

While it’s not a space seen by everyone, the lower level is the heart of the library, Knight said.

One saving grace, Knight said, is that because the rain didn’t come all at once, the staff was able to get all the books out so materials were not ruined. But water did damage the elevator, so staff members and volunteers had to form a human chain to carry books up the stairs. She said about 30 people worked one full day moving 20,000 books up the stairs and out of harm’s way.

“People answered a plea and we were able to save all the children’s books and videos,’’ Knight said. “We were lucky we saved the books; otherwise, it would’ve been devastating.’’

However, not much else was salvageable downstairs, Knight said.

Most of the walls and insulation were removed, and new drywall was put in. New counters, cabinets, and flooring were installed, and the elevator was repaired.

“It was pretty much down to bare walls,’’ Knight said.

Gennis said it seemed like it took forever for the 110-year-old library building to dry so they could start the repairs.

John Moynihan, in charge of Wayland’s public buildings as director of its Facilities Department, said the repairs cost about $130,000. Town Administrator Fred Turkington said the bill was covered by the town’s capital budget, but he hopes the town is reimbursed by the federal government under its disaster relief program.

Turkington said there was also some damage to the town’s public safety building, and he hopes both buildings will qualify for federal assistance. The town has applied for $350,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover the cost of repairing flood damage to both buildings and related expenses, such as pump rentals.

As of last week, federal disaster assistance had surpassed $100 million in aid to individuals, businesses, and municipalities in seven Massachusetts counties. About 220 local and state government applications for disaster relief were submitted, officials said.

Gennis said now that the library building is fixed, the next step is to figure out how to make sure flooding doesn’t happen again. She said town officials are looking at ways to redirect rain so that it flows toward the Sudbury River and not the library, which sits at 5 Concord Road (Route 126) near the middle of town.

Moynihan said the town has applied to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency for a mitigation grant to improve drainage, and has hired an engineering firm to look at options.

Knight and Gennis said it was disappointing that the library had to be closed during the summer, preventing it from providing its annual reading program for students. But they said nearby community libraries stepped up and made it easy for residents to continue getting books.

“It’s all water under the bridge now, so to speak,’’ Knight said.

Jennifer Fenn Lefferts can be reached at jflefferts@yahoo.com.