Palmer Public Library to be closed for an extended amount of time following partial roof collapse

PALMER — A portion of the roof of the Palmer Public Library collapsed Wednesday evening, and now the fixture in the heart of downtown Palmer will be closed for an extended period of time.

Both Palmer City Manager John Moosey and Palmer Community Development Director Brad Hanson said there is no easy solution.

They said it is not as simple as cashing an insurance check and fixing it. Moosey said this is a “long term” endeavor.

The first step is bringing in a structural engineer to access the current damage, and evaluate the potential of further damage.

“We need to find out where we need to go from here. We do know it’s not structurally safe,” Moosey said.

The Palmer Fire Department received the report at about 5:45 p.m. Wednesday that a piece of the library’s roof had caved in, and there were people inside of the building.

“There were people inside when it collapsed,” Palmer Fire and Rescue Chief Chad Cameron said at the scene. “They were able to evacuate the building. No injuries reported at this time.”

There were three employees inside the library and a family visiting the facility when the roof collapsed, city officials said. Everyone was able to get out safely, and no injuries were reported. Hanson said city officials have been in contact with the people who were inside the building during the incident.

The portion of the roof that collapsed is at the front of the building. Cameron said it is in the area of the children’s section.

“Right now it’s the assumption it’s the snow and ice load from all of the snow we’ve had this year,” Cameron said of the potential cause of the collapse. “We don’t have anything 100 percent definitive.”

Cameron said the sprinklers did go off inside of the building following the collapse. Part of the pipe system for the sprinklers is on the roof, and pipes were broken during the collapse.

Moosey said city officials will not be able to evaluate the full extent of the damage — to both the building and the books and materials inside — until the facility is deemed safe to enter by the engineers.

In the hours since the collapse, Moosey said the city has received an outpouring of community support.

“This is a challenging time for us, but we are still seeking ways to provide library services,” Moosey said.

Contact Frontiersman managing editor Jeremiah Bartz at editor@frontiersman.com.