Kanawha County Public Library board members discussed how to move forward with two branches following the fatal late June floods on Monday.
The Clendenin branch was badly damaged when floodwaters rose more than nine feet inside the building.
Board members decided to clean up the Clendenin branch instead of demolishing it completely. A determination about what to do with the building after it is cleaned will be voted on at a later meeting.
Remodeling would cost about $330,000 for the branch, Library Systems Director Alan Engelbert told the board. Members later noted that was a rough estimate that will depend on several factors, and could increase.
Alternatively, the demolition would cost about $26,000, but completely rebuilding would cost around $1 million.
Two insurance adjusters have been through the Clendenin branch and agreed to advance payments of $60,000 on the building and its contents. Further review by the insurance company should result in additional payments to cover the building and its contents.
The materials in the building that were destroyed have a replacement value above $325,000 - the branch just replaced all of its computers in 2015, Engelbert said. The oldest equipment in the building dates back to 1997, which was the last time the branch flooded.
Although the Elk Valley branch was spared from the floodwaters, the building remains inaccessible because of the washed-out culvert to the Crossings Mall shopping center.
"We could open tomorrow, we just can't get there," Engelbert said.
The library rents the space for $8,800 a month and discussed whether to withhold rent from the landlord, Plaza Management. The library has received no contact from the Plaza Management other than one email suggesting tenants contact insurance, Engelbert said.
Since the library is not a for-profit business, the library does not have business interruption insurance. Additionally, since there was no damage to the facility, there is no basis for submitting a claim under property insurance, Engelbert said.
"Our loss is we're unable to serve the public," Engelbert said. "Hundreds of thousands of dollars of materials and equipment sitting useless in the space we're paying for."
All staff employed at the Elk Valley branch have been assigned to other branches in the area.
Board members decided to allow the president and executive director to speak with the landlord about when a temporary bridge will be built for the shopping center.
If a replacement bridge takes more than two months, the Elk Valley branch will move to a rental space in Big Chimney for $1,000 a month for a minimum of six months. If the replacement bridge is built within two weeks, the Elk Valley facility will remain where it is.