Vague update given on downtown Baton Rouge library investigation

The city-parish has released its first update in more than a month on the investigation into what caused a structural failure at the downtown library under construction at North Boulevard Town Square.

But the information sheds little light on when the investigation might conclude or when construction will resume.

According to a statement provided to Mayor Sharon Weston Broome’s office by the building architect/project manager, WHLC, and forwarded to Daily Report:

• Detailed measurements of the building are being acquired to establish the limits of structural movement.
• The design team has prepared permanent repair instructions for the structural steel frame, which are under review by the other members of the project team and the city-parish.
• The design team has engaged the manufacturers of other building systems to ensure that these components will perform adequately during and after the permanent structural repair.
• Repair instructions for other, related building components are currently in development. These repair instructions will be subject to review by the other members of the design team and the city-parish.

Work crews abruptly stopped construction on the library in mid-April, after noticing structural problems on the cantilevered portion of the building that appeared to be linked to a faulty weld. It is unclear what caused the weld to fail.

In the weeks since, WHLC has been trying to get to the bottom of the problem, along with an independent consultant hired by the city-parish and a team of engineers, contractors, and insurance company inspectors, among others.

But the process has been cloaked in silence and until today no new information had been available in more than a month.

Library Director Spencer Watts says it’s frustrating to be kept in the dark, but that he and his board and staff are trying to be patient.

“Everybody is anxious to know more, to have more information,” he says. “But I also understand that the architects and engineers don’t want to give half-formed hypotheses. They want to give us their conclusions.”