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Bettendorf Public Library reopens ahead of schedule

Getting back to normal for the Bettendorf public library was a process the city expected to take months to sort out and although it’s still going to take some t...

Getting back to normal for the Bettendorf public library was a process the city expected to take months to sort out and although it’s still going to take some time, the city has opened the library doors Tuesday May 31-- ahead of schedule.

"The areas that are affected are going to be at least 90 days or more so as we assess what's going on when we made the statement we assumed we were not going to be able to open at all," says City Administrator Decker Ploehn.

The estimated cost is lower  than expected as well.  Originally the project cost about one million dollars but after taking another look at the damage, the city estimates the cost to be around $250,000.

Earlier this month a water pipe cap broke on the 2nd floor bathroom, flooding most of the upstairs office space and some of the first floor.  However Library Director Sue Mannix says most of the books and electronics were spared.

"Virtually all of the collection was spared so it was just a matter of staff work spaces, the entry way the circulation services area where people borrow and lend all of that had to be relocated," she says.

After the reopening, the Bettendorf City Council voted to skip a formal bidding process to find a contractor, and instead trust a contractor chosen by the insurance company ICAP to take care of the damage.

Something the city is authorized to do in an emergency situation.

Normally holding a formal bidding to find a contractors is a project that could take up to 60 days, however Mayor Robert Gallagher says bypassing this process, will speed up the rebuilding process.

The library is expected to be repaired in the next three months.

 

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