Andrew Carnegie would be displeased, but then, who cares about what a dead, white, cisgender racist might think?
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A second Colorado public library shuts down due to methamphetamine contamination
The public library in Englewood, about seven miles south of downtown Denver, was closed last week, shortly after test results showed that its bathrooms, as well as some other surfaces, were contaminated with the drug, city officials said.
Out of an “abundance of caution,” the city, which has a population of about 33,500, said it had decided to temporarily shutter the Englewood Public Library as well as a lobby and some restrooms in the nearby Englewood Civic Center, citing contamination.
Shawn Lewis, the city manager, said in a statement that the test results were “troubling.” He said the city would immediately begin work to remediate the affected areas of the library, with the goal of reopening as soon as possible.
This development is coming hard on the heels of an Axios report indicating Boulder’s civic leaders are scrambling to address rising methamphetamine use in the area, which has spiked over the past 6 years and now is impacting public places, including its library.
The latest: A downtown Boulder transit station on Tuesday was forced to temporarily close its bathrooms and adjacent hallway after traces of meth were found.
The closure comes after local officials shuttered the city’s central library in late December due to meth contamination in restrooms and first-floor seating areas.The Main Library reopened Monday — following an estimated $125,000 cleanup — without public access to restrooms.
The closure comes after local officials shuttered the city’s central library in late December due to meth contamination in restrooms and first-floor seating areas.
The Main Library reopened Monday — following an estimated $125,000 cleanup — without public access to restrooms.
“No public restrooms will be available for a few weeks until a new system is in place where library staff and contract security staff can help monitor the bathrooms and deter unwanted behavior,” the city said in a statement
Our public libraries are now just glorified warming huts and public lavatories for cities’ junkies and hobos.
The library is one of the few places in Bangor where people like Cortright can seek shelter without having to buy anything, and can access free resources like wireless internet and a computer. It also has the only public bathroom in downtown Bangor.
But as a growing number of patrons seek shelter there during the day, the library has also seen a spike in behavioral problems, such as people using drugs in bathrooms and screaming at and threatening staff. There’s also been one suspected assault, requiring law enforcement and social workers to intervene, library director Ben Treat said.
Before the pandemic, the library asked police for five or six criminal trespass orders a year to keep disruptive people from re-entering their doors. Library staff have asked for 43 in the last eight months, Treat said. There were also four overdoses in the building between November and March.
Bangor police responded to 59 calls from the library between January and March this year, mostly for welfare checks, overdoses and disorderly conduct like fighting, said spokesperson Wade Betters. There were 11 service calls from the library during the same period last year.Before the pandemic, the library asked police for five or six criminal trespass orders a year to keep disruptive people from re-entering their doors. Library staff have asked for 43 in the last eight months, Treat said. There were also four overdoses in the building between November and March.
Bangor police responded to 59 calls from the library between January and March this year, mostly for welfare checks, overdoses and disorderly conduct like fighting, said spokesperson Wade Betters. There were 11 service calls from the library during the same period last year.
