The Port Richmond library is closed again, as Rebuild roof project stalls

The Free Library of Philadelphia’s Port Richmond branch’s tumultuous stretch began in mid-November with a broken heating system that caused the library to close. Then, there was a gas leak, a chimney collapse, and an asbestos check.

Yet, the new year has not brought relief to the staff and patrons of the popular branch. After a brief period where the library reopened, the Richmond Library is closed indefinitely because its roof is falling apart. The news was first reported by Philly Voice.

The ceiling is beset with leaks, and pieces of plaster continually drop to the floor, including a heavy chunk that fell near the children’s section. All the while, construction to repair the roof through the city’s Rebuild initiative has been stalled for months.

Amy Thatcher, who works at Richmond Library and is a member of AFSCME District Council 47 Local 2186, said that she once had faith that Rebuild would restore the library, but now she feels “very differently.”

“It’s just progressively worse. … It’s astonishing,” she said.

“We understand how important the library is to the Port Richmond community and the library will reopen as soon as all needed repairs are complete,” Lloyd Salasin-Deane, a Rebuild spokesperson, said via email.

The city’s Rebuild initiative, a series of reinvestment and construction projects in Philly infrastructure funded by the soda tax, began a $1.9 million roof replacement for Richmond Library in February.

Since construction workers removed the building’s roof that month, they have yet to make progress on its replacement. The most recent Rebuild progress report published in September stated that construction was 0% completed, though Salasin-Deane said that the project, including the roof removal, is 50% finished.

After workers removed the roof last winter, they installed a temporary, watertight layer that is typically meant only to last several months. But the roof began leaking a month later, which construction workers told Richmond staff was because of the structure’s rotting wood. Thatcher said that before the original roof was removed, it only leaked in one spot and that the replacement was much worse.

“Who the hell takes off a roof without having a roof to put on?” Thatcher said.

In an effort to make the roof’s watertight layer more secure, workers used caulk and nails, but the roof continued to leak. Thatcher said that Richmond staff found numerous nails in the lawn, even after asking construction workers to do more thorough sweeps, and moved children’s programming indoors. One library worker stepped on a nail that went through the sole of her shoe, and got a tetanus shot.

Salasin-Deane said the general contractor picked up loose debris and installed a temporary protection for the roof, as well as performing daily site visits. But Thatcher said the damage was already done.

“Half of our LGBTQ+ book collection is ruined. Much of the children’s nonfiction books have been ruined. Who will pay for the replacements?” Thatcher said in an email to The Inquirer, regarding water damage from leaks. Salasin-Deane denied that books were damaged.

Before the construction companies contracted by Rebuild began removing the roof, Rebuild ordered replacement roof tiles from Ludowici Roof Tile, an Ohio-based company. They chose Ludowici because it builds a style of terra cotta clay tile that can withstand harsher East Coast weather, and it supplied the original roofing when the library opened in the current building in 1910. Richmond Library is a designated historical building, meaning renovations must closely match its original infrastructure.

Meeting minutes about the roofing project provided to The Inquirer state that Ludowici had been paid in full for the order by Rebuild’s contractor, though Salasin-Deane disputed that the company had been fully paid.

The tiling company has pushed back its estimated delivery date several times, most recently missing a Dec. 6 target. However, a Ludowici representative said that two out of three trucks loaded with tiles finally shipped out on Friday morning.

Salasin-Deane said that Rebuild anticipates the roof will be complete three months after the arrival of all tiles.

“We are eager to see this project move forward and are working with the general contractor on a delivery date for the roofing material. We are hopeful that the roofing material will be delivered to the site soon,” Salasin-Deane said.

Port Richmond community members are rallying around the library, aiming to bring greater attention to its plight. Neighbors launched a Change.org petition to support the library and accompanying social media campaign on Fridaycalling on Councilmember Mark Squilla, whose district covers the area, to divert resources to reopen the library. As of Sunday afternoon, the petition had over 780 signatures.

“If this city’s government is also keen on keeping families local, they will support the infrastructure that makes this possible. I cannot think of a better example of this than the Port Richmond Library,” wrote Pati Babik, a petition signer. “This library is the heart of our community. … It is simply atrocious that this library has been neglected by the city. Our community is lost without it.”