WORCESTER—Two months after the Frances Perkins branch of the Worcester Public Library closed due to radon concerns, neighbors in Worcester’s Greendale area are still waiting—and asking—when they’ll get their beloved library back.
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, District 1 Councilor Jenny Pacillo submitted an order requesting an update on the library’s closure and a timeline for its reopening.
“It’s a big thing in the neighborhood,” Pacillo said. “I’ve had some parents reach out, and we all really miss going to Frances Perkins. We all miss Rebecca [Raineri, youth services librarian]; she’s a really great librarian and it’s a really nice thing to have in our neighborhood.”
The library, located on West Boylston Street, has been shuttered since March 24 after the city detected “actionable levels” of radon in the building’s basement. Further testing took place the weekend of March 28, and a mitigation plan was promised depending on the results.
But progress has been slower than expected.
“I think one of the issues we’ve had is finding the right contractor to be able to handle this situation,” said City Manager Eric Batista. “We feel as though we have one that could probably handle [it] as a vendor, so we’re probably about two, if not two and a half, weeks out from kind of mitigating the issue.”
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can enter buildings through gaps or cracks in the foundation. According to the EPA, it is colorless, odorless, and only detectable through testing.
In the meantime, Greendale residents are left without a walkable branch — and without their favorite local librarians.
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