Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Addressing Safety Issues on Brown County Library To-Do List

Link to March 10 Green Bay Post-Gazette article, "

Excerpt: Brown County Library officials are working their way through a fix-it list for five branch sites to avert accidents and potential disaster.

"We've been told what we need to have and we'd better do it or we could be liable," said Library Director Lynn Stainbrook.


The short-term list of safety issues focuses on lighting at the Central, Weyers-Hilliard, Kress, Southwest and Ashwaubenon library branches where the Boldt Co. of Appleton has concluded that emergency exit and other lighting is not up to code.

"If there was a fire or the power went off and there was no lighting, people wouldn't be able to see their way out," Stainbrook said.

"Most of these projects are things the public doesn't notice now."

For Stainbrook and the Library Board, it is also a financial issue. With about $200,000 in carryover funds from the 2009 budget, the library expects to be able to complete many of the items on the list this year.

But factoring into the decision is a plan for major renovation of the 40-year-old Central Library in downtown Green Bay. The board is taking proposals from architects and expects to look at design proposals later this year.

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