Water-Damaged Eatontown Public Library To Get Temporary Fix

The facade of the will be getting a temporary fix after years of water damage.

Architect Kevin Settembrino said the water trapped between the building's stucco and brick veneer has been freezing and unfreezing over the years and has caused the exterior of the building to "pop and crack."

Settembrino was hired by the borough to find out what caused the damage and reported his findings last week. He said the borough could either spend between $200,000 to $400,000 to rebuild the exterior of the building or about $75,000 to patch holes and cracks.

"We are looking to get the building to drain better, the water can get in, but it cannot get out," Settembrino said. "Patching will not solve the issue."

Settembrino said the front of the building is not as bad as the other three sides, but that ideally, all four sides would be replaced.

Councilman Dennis Connelly asked if the flat-roof design of the building contributed to the poor drainage, and Settembrino said the study did not look at the roof, but that it is something that could be looked at.

The council agreed that while patching the holes would not be a long-term fix, itwas probably too expensive to replace all of the walls.

"It's an eyesore and we have to do something," Borough Administrator George Jackson said. "Patching it is a short-term fix and the long term fix is to replace the entire facade."

The council will vote on a resolution at its next meeting that would put the project out to bid to replace three sides of the building with an alternative bid for the fourth side. The total cost of the project would not exceed $75,000.

Councilman Anthony Talerico said he was hesitant to completely replace the exterior of the library, because the building is being looked at as way to help ease some of .

"I would like to hold for now until a decision is made on what we will do with the building," Councilman Talerico said.

The library is located right next to borough hall on Broad Street.