Restoration work underway at flood damaged Vernon library

VERNON – It’s going to be noisy, dusty and probably smelly as the restoration work begins following the flood at the Vernon branch of the Okanagan Regional Library system.

Stutter’s Restoration had the low bid for the project. The entire cost of work is covered by the ORL’s insurance policy so won't affect taxpayers.

A water pipe in the unheated, book drop area burst on February 11, flooding the main floor of the new building.

“The pipe was insulated but it didn’t have heat wrapping so with the fast freeze and the fast thaw it burst,” CEO Stephanie Hall says.

The library is open with all its services moved to the second floor.

Hall says the restoration work will take 6 to 8 weeks and the book drops won’t be open during that time.

If you are visiting the library you may notice some noise, dust and odours during the restoration.

Staff will be using odour and noise meters to monitor the smells and construction noise to minimize the impact on library-goers.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infotelnews.ca or call 250-491-0331. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.