SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The below-freezing temperatures on Christmas Eve caused pipes to burst inside the new Shelby Township Library.
The water caused damage in the technology lab, adult nonfiction section, meeting rooms, back offices and staff areas. Cleanup is expected to be extensive.
“We are heartbroken, we really are,” Shelby Township Library Director Katie Ester said.
Ester said pipes freezing and damaging the building couldn’t have happened at a worse time. This time of year was expected to be the busiest for the library.
How the burst happened is still under investigation. The building is new and the library opened this summer. The township is aggressively working to figure out why the heat shut off, which is what is believed to have caused the pipes to freeze and burst.
Insurance will cover the damages, allowing the library to reopen and making it safe to be inside again. A reopening date has not yet been set, but officials hope it’s as soon as possible.
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