Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary School and the branch library will close for about a month starting Monday for asbestos removal.
The $160,000 removal effort has been in Durango School District 9-R’s capital project queue since the beginning of the year, district spokeswoman Julie Popp said.
The summer reading program and yarn club hosted by the Fort Lewis Mesa Branch Library will move while the work is underway.
The summer reading program will move to 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the Breen Community Hall at the intersection of Colorado Highway 140 and Wildcat Canyon Road (County Road 141). The yarn club will meet at 1 p.m. Mondays at the Marvel Grange, at 217 County Road 133.
A librarian will bring limited materials to the Breen Community Hall for residents to check out, Durango Public Library Director Sandy Irwin said.
She said many families use the library for high-speed internet access. Those families will have to look elsewhere for internet until the asbestos is removed.
“There is no other place in that rural area for access to high-speed internet, but the health and safety of those at the school is of utmost importance,” Irwin said. “Hopefully, people will come to the Sunnyside library or the main library for internet. We wish it could be different, but there is no way around that.”
District 9-R will spend about $1.3 million on capital projects in the 2017-18 budget year and prioritizes them based on need, Popp said.
“Asbestos is a very common element in many buildings in this community. It is fine if it is not disturbed. ... We are taking a proactive approach to the asbestos in the building before it becomes an issue,” she said.
mrupani@durangoherald.com
