Renovations Continue on Lavonia Library

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

Work on the exterior of the Lavonia Carnegie Library is nearing completion.

Crews have been doing repairs and doing a general restoration for most of the summer on the 103-year old building.

The Lavonia Carnegie Library is one of the last working Carnegie Libraries in the country.

Lavonia City Manager Gary Fesperman said crews found a lot of exterior damage, mainly due to the age of the building.

“The major issues were some rotted wood around the facia boards and soffit area,” he said. “Gutters had been installed in previous years and water got in behind the gutters and did some damage as far as rotting the facia boards out. A lot of the soffit was damaged over the years due to the weather. That building is over 100 years old and the soffit was original. It just needed a lot of repairs.”

Fesperman said everything was put back the way it was historically.

He added that another problem had to do with the mortar on the exterior brick which had been eaten away over the years by sandblasting.

“In previous years, it had been sandblasted and the glaze covering had been eaten away,” Fesperman said. “That allowed water to penetrate the brick, which eventually penetrated into the plaster walls inside and pushed the paint off. So, that was a major problem.”

Fesperman said there was also a problem with water seeping into the basement that caused extensive damage because of poor landscaping.

“We also had some water getting in underneath the building because of inaccurate landscaping,” Fesperman said. “Dirt had been pushed up against the building. We also had dirt moved around and was allowing water to lay against the side of the building and allowing water to get into the basement area. And that was causing damage as well.”

According to Fesperman, the landscaping is being reworked to draw water away from the building.

Also, the sidewalk in front of the library is being repaired and some trees removed and the library has received a new coat of paint, which Fesperman says came from a list of historically correct colors.

He said new on the building, however, will be new front doors.

“The only thing left once we finish the current repairs will be to put in a new entryway,” Fesperman said. “It will be a new entry way of wood and glass with side lights and top lights. It will replace the original doors that are there because those doors are not efficient anymore and they are not ADA compliant. The new doors will be have mahogany trim on it.”

Fesperman said the next phase will tackle the inside of the building and the City is working with the Library System of Athens to determine the scope of that project.