Patches of sealant dot the roof at the North Bend Public Library this week. Contractors have made at least four visits to the library in the past year to fix leaks and other damage to the aging rooftop. “We’ve done what we can to stop the leaking, but the contractors we’ve talked to all said this is a temporary fix,” Director of Library Services Gary Sharp said. The library has gathered approximately $204,000 to replace 21,900 square feet of roofing on the building and damaged ceiling tiles inside. World Photo by Alex Powers

NORTH BEND — For more than a year, Gary Sharp has worried about the fate of his books and periodicals come rainy season.

Those 125,000-plus innocent books and other media could be spared from water spots and mold, now that long-desired repairs to the North Bend Public Library roof are finally within reach for the library services director and the nearly 20-year-old biblioteca.

After a bit of creative city funding, this week the North Bend City Council has given authorization to make the repairs and seek bids for the project.

“I’m tremendously excited. It’s been a long process,” Sharp said. “It’s critical we get it done as soon as possible.”

Plans for the roof include covering it with a polyvinyl membrane that comes with a 20- to 25- year warranty. Sharp said he hopes to see work completed in October on the facility, located at 1800 Sherman Ave. The roof became an issue in the winter of 2006. Leaks damaged a number of large ceiling tiles and caused two to come crashing down on the library’s magazine reading area on Christmas Day. Luckily, no one was in the library at the time.

Sharp has spent many months since then seeking grants to help fund the roof repairs, especially after the source of funding became somewhat controversial.  In January, the city and the library board wrangled over whether to use money donated by the Raymond A. O’Daniell Trust that was allocated to the library’s donation fund to pay for the cost of replacing the library’s deteriorating roof. Library board members argued that the more than 10-year-old trust was intended for capital improvements to enhance the library, not repairs. Library officials last used O’Daniell funds in 2001 to expand a portion of the library’s children’s room and to construct a bathroom and staff workroom.

The debate subsided as Sharp brought in grant after grant to pay for the needed roof repairs and the city agreed to contribute $69,000 from the city’s Capital Project Fund. Another $25,000 from the library’s donation fund was included in the $204,000 roof budget.

However, a $25,000 grant didn’t come through, and another from the Meyer Memorial Trust was $20,000 less than expected. So the city and the library board decided to split the difference.

During the Tuesday City Council meeting, City Administrator Jan Willis said the $45,000 deficit will be made up with $22,500 from the city’s capital fund and a matching amount in library donation funds.

According to a memorandum from Willis to the council regarding the roof replacement project,  the library received a $25,000 grant from the Collins Foundation, $30,000 from Meyer Memorial, and the Library Foundation Board donated $10,000. Sharp is pleased with the solution.

“We just split the gap ... to get the project under way,” Sharp said.