Anza Library Closed for Electrical Improvements

By T.J. Wait

Since March 14, the Anza Branch Library, located at 550 37th Ave., has been closed. The library, opened in 1932 as a Special Works Project, will not reopen until July. That is because the City has been modernizing wiring at the dilapidated facility.

Before the construction project, the Anza branch library offered limited computer services to its patrons. The electrical system was so outdated the library could not support graphical interface computers and library goers who wished to use the Internet had to do so with a text-based connection.

Marcia Schneider, public affairs director for San Francisco's public libraries, said the electrical problems and bad wiring in the building made it almost impossible for library officials to install computers with graphic capabilities.

"You couldn't even connect a coffee pot and a computer to the same socket without blowing the circuit," she said.

Compounding the wiring problems, explained Schneider, was the asbestos in the building. Rewiring the facility required workers to remove the hazardous material to protect electricians as they made the necessary repairs and improvements.

"Before any work could be done, we had to remove asbestos in the crawl spaces. The workers needed these (spaces) to be clear so they could access necessary areas for rewiring," Schneider said.

Since the library's closure in March, the asbestos removal has been successfully completed. Construction workers are now in the rewiring phase of the project. Workers are also installing telecommunications equipment, data wiring and making other electrical improvements.

The project, according to Schneider, is not cheap. So far the bill is in the neighborhood of $256,000. She said that the money for the project is coming from the library's normal operating budget.

"This year the City had higher-than-expected property tax revenue which helped our budget," she said.

The project's successful completion is especially important because of the imminent closure of the Richmond District's main library. According to Schneider, the Richmond District library is in desperate need of retrofitting. On the city's 2-4 earthquake rating scale, four being the worst, the Richmond library is listed as a four.

Schneider says the Anza Branch Library is scheduled to re-open in July.

Construction on the Richmond Library is scheduled to begin sometime later this year.

"As of now our timeline is very preliminary. We hope to begin work (on the Richmond Branch) sometime this year," Schneider said.

Unlike the Anza Library improvements, the Richmond Library will use money raised by Proposition A, a branch library improvement measure passed in last November's elections.

Schneider added that retrofitting is also needed at the Noe Valley and Marina libraries - both also scored a four on the city's earthquake safety scale.