New structural damage found in the roof trusses of Elma Turner Library during the process of earthquake strengthening has delayed its full reopening.

A partial reopening, including the main entrance and another large section of library floorspace, will take place on 26 July. This will mean that 70% of the total public area of the library will be returned to public use and represents a doubling of the area currently available to the public.

But the full reopening has been delayed after Nelson City Council contractors found damage to four trusses in the oldest public section of the library – the south side next to Halifax Street. The further strengthening work that is now necessary will take an estimated seven months to complete with the full library to reopen in February 2024.

A request for a further $940,000 to repair the additional damage will be made to Council on 6 July. If approved, this will bring the total cost of the Elma Turner Library earthquake strengthening project to $2.7 million.

Nelson Mayor Nick Smith, who leads the Library Reopening Taskforce, says the discovery of the damaged roof trusses at the southern end of the library is disappointing as it has set back the full reopening by seven months and added $940,000 to the cost when the project was previously on schedule and on budget.

“These scope increases are not uncommon when trying to patch up an older building. I am pleased the problem has been found as these are structural safety issues that need to be addressed immediately. The origin of this problem dates back to when the loading on the trusses was doubled with the addition of heated ceiling tiles and skylights in 1989, resulting in them being overloaded. The new work involves installing 17 steel columns, with concrete foundations and steel beams between them, in this oldest public section of the library to underpin and address the under-capacity of the trusses. Finding this flaw with the trusses has also resolved the question of the cause of roof leaks that now enables a more comprehensive fix of that issue.”

New section of Elma Turner Library to reopen in July

Library staff are focusing on reopening another large section of floor space, the library’s main entrance, and research room and main public toilets to the public on Wednesday 26 July.

The library will close for just over a week following the school holidays (17-25 July) to allow a considerable amount of the collection to be moved back to the public area – a further 25,000 books, five times the amount currently on the library floor. Stoke Library and Nightingale Library Memorial will open additional hours over the time Elma Turner Library is closed.

To restore access to the main bathroom block, situated at the edge of the closed area, a purpose-built, enclosed corridor will be constructed.

Nelson City Council Chief Executive Nigel Philpott says this will be the fourth change to the library space in just over a year for staff, who are looking forward to a library that more closely resembles the original area.

“We’ve gone from complete closure to a small, successful pop up, to a larger space and now we are getting back most of the library space and amenities that we know our community has been missing.

“I would like to thank the library staff and the community for their patience and understanding throughout this process. Library staff have gone above and beyond, working in disrupted conditions for about a year now and continue to do a fantastic job providing top-level service. We know the library is a valuable resource for many and I can assure you we are working diligently to ensure that it is fully operational as soon as possible.”

The newly reopened space will see the return of the study area, the lounges, the charging docks, access to the Research and Heritage Room, more public computers and additional seating.

Mayor Nick says once the full repairs are complete, the library will meet earthquake standard requirements of 67% New Building Standard (NBS) for the ceilings, and 34% NBS for the structure.

“This finding does not change the merits of extending the life of the current library. Spending $2.7 million fixing the problems with the tiles, structural connections and now the trusses will give us a safe library at an affordable cost while we explore and develop plans for a long-term replacement facility.”

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