Dripping Springs library reopens after damages from lightning strike
DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas - The Dripping Springs Community Library reopened its doors after the building was struck by lightning last week.
The library had been closed since Friday, May 31 when storms swept through the area.
"When our employee Pam came to open the library on Friday morning, she opened the doors to find a huge mess," says Dripping Springs Community Library Communications Manager Christina Thompson.
A large hole, fire alarms, and debris spread across the library. It was all a part of the damage from the storm.
"The fire department showed up, and they determined that lightning had struck the roof, and the lightning bolts took out a fire alarm and a huge chunk of the wall," says Thompson.
The library staff says there was no one in the building when it was struck by lightning.
"We do have employees that sit below where that explosion happened. The Fire Marshall did a full inspection and said we are very fortunate that the whole building didn't burn down," says Thompson.
The Dripping Springs Community Library says it closed from Friday through Sunday, and canceled reading sessions during what it is known as the busiest time of the year.
"The only thing that we are still working to fix right now is our internet access, so we unfortunately don't have internet available to our patrons right now. We have been able to run our circulation desk to check out books via a hotspot," says Thompson.
Repairs are currently being made.
"I don't have a total of how much the cost of the damage is, but I do know our library director is working with our insurance company to cover the expenses of the lightning strike," says Thompson.
According to the nonprofit that runs the library, the staff has been in the building for nearly 25 years, they are currently raising funds for a new building that will cost about $5 million.
"We need a larger space in order to accommodate the growth in our community, so we are proposing building a new library that is four times this size," says Thompson.
The new building is expected to be built in 2025, directly behind the current building.