Politics & Government

Asbestos Removal to Close Madison Library

Library cleaning up material from building's 1969 construction.

The Madison Public Library will close for about two weeks starting Nov. 26 for an asbestos abatement project, the library announced.

All library programs scheduled for that period are canceled, but meetings scheduled by other organizations in the Chase Auditorium will go on as planned because the room has its own HVAC system, library director Nancy Adamczyk said.

Adamczyk said it's unfortunate the library has to close again so soon after Superstorm Sandy knocked out power for almost a week. It held extended hours when it reopened the Friday after the storm, and had thousands of visitors over the weekend with people keeping warm, charging cellphones, using wireless Internet, watching movies, browsing magazines and borrowing materials.

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The project will include removing asbestos from the ceiling over some parts of the adult stacks, and in a storage room and a wall. The library closed for an asbestos abatement project in March 2011. More asbestos was removed after floor tiles affected by flooding. After this latest project, no other asbestos abatement projects are planned, Adamczyk said.

Adamczyk said the library air has been tested and no harmful levels of asbestos have been detected. The library was built in 1969 and the asbestos issue was identified in 2010.

While the library is closed, cardholders are encouraged to use the reciprocal borrowing arrangements offered by all public libraries in Morris County, as well as those in Summit, New Providence, Berkeley Heights, Bernards Township and Bernardsville.

Find out what's happening in Madisonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Hours

The library will close for Thanksgiving Day at 4 p.m. on Wednesday and re-open on Friday. Hours for the holiday weekend are Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

For updates on the closure visit www.madisonnjlibrary.org or call the library at 973-377-0722.


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