The Coffee County Manchester Public Library will remain closed until a company can come in and make what is considered by the county as “Band-Aid repairs” to get it opened.

The library was closed last month by the Capital Outlay Committee after Library Director Pauline Vaugn brought reports of mold that had, according to her, caused respiratory problems with at least one employee.

“We have the (roofing) company set to go,” County Maintenance Director Rick Soucy said during the April 2 Capital Outlay Committee meeting. “We met with the company and went over everything and took a bunch of panels off and found a bunch of wood that was damaged.”

Soucy estimated the company would be able to begin work as early as this week or the following.

The hope is that the repairs will stop water intrusion so that repairs can be made on the inside and the interior treated so the facility can reopen.

Inside the library, the water damaged sheetrock has been removed, according to Soucy. Much of the sheetrock has been repaired, but two spaces have been left so that workers can confirm the roof repairs are holding.

For the mold remediation, the county has received one bid and is waiting on two additional ones. Soucy anticipated those bids being in by this week so that they can begin once the roof is repaired.

Capital Outlay Chairman Terry Hershman said that the roofing panels that are on the library are not suitable for use commercially.

“The existing roof that’s on it … a lot of people put it on their homes, but it’s not made for a commercial application. It should have never been put on the library,” he said.

“The seams were installed backwards (upside down),” Hershman said. “The panels are so short … the plywood that is underneath them has gotten wet and is separating, so the screws don’t have anything to hold on to.”

Hershman said the county will have to replace the roof at some point in the future and also replace about a foot or so of roof decking along the perimeter of the roof.

He said the current roof doesn’t have eave flashing and is allowing rain to blow under the panels.

“We have water running under where the vinyl is where the flat part was. We have water running down it and running from behind it,” Hersman said.

“It’s fixable but it’s going to have to be fixed, more than what we’re doing right now. Right now, we’re trying to put a Band-Aid on it. We’re trying to get it where we can get it back open,” he said.

He said repairs and the subsequent mold inspection are moving along as quickly as possible.