Teslin’s community library will likely remain closed over the holidays while territorial officials await the results of air quality tests.
The library closed in early December after the librarian complained of headaches, which she deemed to be symptoms of a mould allergy.
The building is more than 50 years old and leaks. It was cleaned of mould and repaired about one year ago. Yet water continues to seep into the basement.
However, no mould was visible to workers who are fixing the building, said Doris Wurfbaum, spokeswoman for the Department of Public Works.
Public Works hopes to clean up the building so that it’s habitable until the end of March. After that, they hope to have found a new location for the library.
Workers have cleaned the building’s air ducts in recent weeks. The next step will be to replace the building’s heat sump.
Air tests are not expected to be complete until the New Year because of lab back-ups, said Wurfbaum. But if the department would also open the building if the Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board, which also conducted tests, deemed it fit to re-open.
The librarian has indicated she is willing to return to work in the building provided it is only for a short period of time, said Wurfbaum.
But Public Works may have trouble finding a new place to put the library. It has spent the past year searching for such a building, without luck.
Today, the department is expected to put out a new request for proposals for a library space, with a deadline for late January and a move-in date at the end of March.