MIDDLEBURY — A consultant is sizing up repairs for a portion of the Ilsley Library roof in wake of concerns over moisture entering the stately stone building at 75 Main St. in Middlebury.
At issue, according to library Director Dave Clark, is the condition of the asphalt shingle roof that covers the 1988 addition on the building, the main portion of which was erected in 1924. With a life expectancy of around two decades, Clark said it was time to look at the roof anyway. But the inspection became even more pressing in light of some moisture issues discovered on the exterior and within the interior of the Ilsley Library, Clark noted.
That moisture, Clark said, is evidenced in some of the darker-colored marble stones on the façade of the building. Officials want to determine whether this infiltration of moisture is coming from the outside or from the roof and into the wall structure.
Clark said it is too soon to determine whether the 1988 portion of the roof will need to be replaced, and if so, how much that might cost. A consultant has already walked the roof and is preparing to complete additional studies before recommending repairs or replacement, according to Clark.
“We are just waiting at this point,” Clark said.
At the same time, the library is considering other solutions to the library’s moisture problems, including installing some grates at two of the building’s entrances (at the side and at the rear meeting room) to trap water during wet weather.
Fortunately, there have been no signs of mold or any other water-related damage within the library’s collection at this point, according to Clark.
Reporter John Flowers is at [email protected].