With two Kanawha County library branches still unusable after the June 23 floods, the library board is trying to accommodate residents in Clendenin and Elkview in the meantime.
On July 26, the library reopened its former space at 3636 Pennsylvania Ave., in Big Chimney, to operate until the bridge at Crossings Mall in Elkview is replaced.
The Elk Valley branch was spared from the floodings, but has been inaccessible since then because of the washed-out culvert to the shopping center.
Library Systems Director Alan Engelbert said the public is making "great use" of the former library since it opened.
"A lot of the wiring and even one of the checkout desks is still there, so we were able to get it up and running very quickly," Engelbert said.
That location is functioning under regular library hours, he added.
Work on the new bridge to Crossings Mall is expected to begin this week after the owner, Plaza Management, received the necessary permits for the new bridge from the Kanawha County Planning Department late last week.
The work is expected to take six to eight weeks to complete.
Engelbert said he received correspondence from Plaza Management earlier Monday, confirming that it will pro-rate rent for the Elk Valley branch during the time that it's been inaccessible to patrons.
"That was pretty much what we asked for, so that was fair enough," Engelbert said. "We're all very anxious to get back there and start operating."
The Clendenin branch is a more complicated issue.
After more than 9 feet of flood water rose inside the building, Engelbert said its interior was essentially a total loss.
The library board hired a contractor to remove its contents and strip it down to the bare walls, he said.
Engelbert said the Federal Emergency Maintenance Agency (FEMA) has asked the board if it has an estimated cost to repair or rebuild the facility.
A previous Gazette-Mail story reported that renovating the branch would cost about $330,000, while demolition and rebuilding a new facility would cost more than $1 million.
"We really haven't had those discussions internally," Engelbert said, adding that he's unsure how much FEMA would pay to help with those costs.
Also slowing down the process are paperwork inconsistencies with the library's flood insurance carrier, which has two different addresses for the Clendenin branch, though Engelbert said they're the same building.
Engelbert noted that Kanawha Public Library system did receive a grant from the West Virginia Library Commission for a grant in the amount of $10,733 to help pay for flood relief costs at its affected branches.
A mobile library is currently operating in Clendenin every Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Engelbert said the board is looking into extending those hours so that people can visit after work and students can stop by after school.
"We're looking to provide services in other ways as time goes on," he said.
Reach Elaina Sauber at elaina.sauber@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-3051 or follow @ElainaSauber on Twitter.