The brilliant sunshine outside the C.H. Booth Library Wednesday morning, February 18, was in sharp contrast to the dark cloud hovering over the staff of the Children’s Department inside, where frozen sprinkler system pipes burst Tuesday, February 17, causing damage to thousands of books in the collection.

“The sprinkler system burst in the west corner of the Children’s Department,” said CHB Board of Trustees President Robert Geckle. “There was localized damage to books in the immediate vicinity of the break,” he said, although the extent of that damage is still being assessed.

“We believe a heater sensor may have failed, allowing those pipes to freeze,” he said. Although the library was open at the time of the accident, no one was hurt. It was fortunate, Mr Geckle said, that the library was open at the time and staff was on hand.

“The alarm went off instantaneously, as well, and the Newtown Fire [Newtown Hook & Ladder Company] was there in minutes and turned off the water,” he said. It only took moments, though, for three inches of water to fill the aisles and seep throughout the area.

Water damage affected approximately 80 percent of the carpeting throughout the Children’s Department and the office of the children’s librarian, as well as a small section of the lobby just outside that department’s entryway, Mr Geckle said.

The ankle-deep water immediately following the break set the scene for one that was all to familiar to the library staff: that of the flood in January 2014 that caused extensive damage to two floors of the 1998 addition to the library.

While a greater number of books appear to be affected by this flood, the new computers, the electrical panel, and other network capabilities were not damaged this time around, Mr Geckle added.

J.P. Maguire, restoration specialist, was on site immediately, testing for moisture content in the department, and setting up dehumidifiers. By Wednesday morning, the company had vacuumed out the standing water and had begun removal of the carpet tiles, only set in place one year ago.

The sprinkler system broke in two places, directly above stacks of books, said Brian Molloy, project manager for J.P. Maguire. Workers piled ruined books into boxes Wednesday morning, and dumped them into a trailer for disposal. The pipes in the sprinkler system had been repaired by Wednesday morning,  he said, and the process of dehumidifying the space and removing carpeting had begun.

“We’re moving ahead,” Mr Molloy noted.

“We do have the pipes inspected quarterly,” said Beryl Harrison, who was acting director of the library last year when it flooded.

“There was no way to predict this,” added C.H. Booth Library Director Brenda McKinley. “We’ve had an unusually long stretch of very cold weather for Connecticut. I’m definitely counting on Beryl’s experience for this, and I’m grateful for this amazing team from J.P. Maguire — knowing they are here,” she said, “and doing what needs to be done for recovery.” Additionally, Ms McKinley said, she is grateful to know she has staff and board members, particularly Mr Geckle and Tom D’Agostino, on whom she can rely.

Losing the books in the Children’s Department is terrible, Ms McKinley said. “But we have the pieces in place to work with our book vendors.”

The good news, Mr Geckle said, is that with the sprinkler system repaired and tested, the library proper would open to the public Thursday, February 19. The Children’s Department would remain closed until remediation is completed.

It is hoped that children’s programs can be moved to other areas of the library. However, patrons should check the library’s website, www.chboothlibrary.org, for updates on programs and the reopening of that department.

“The sprinkler system is under 100 psi of pressure. That’s a lot of water. It’s very painful,” Mr Geckle admitted, “but it is not as catastrophic as last year.”