At the Coos Bay Public Library, confronting a sinking feeling * Oregon ArtsWatch

"In the back of the library, in the nonfiction section, the floor slopes up and down and is visibly uneven. Nearby, above individual study desks, large cracks run along the wall. Walk a little farther, and one faces the emergency exit. A large crack runs diagonally above the fire extinguisher and ends at the top left corner of the door frame. Another large crack runs the entire length of the wall where it meets the ceiling."

"The public library, like much of downtown, is built on infill. A blue-collar town on Oregon's central coast, Coos Bay is surrounded by saltwater marsh. In the early and mid-20 th century, the city dumped infill into parts of the bay to expand the downtown core. The foundations of buildings built atop that infill are supported by pilings drilled into the ground."

Coos Bay Public Library, built in 1965 on infill, is sinking and structurally unstable because foundation pilings have failed. Visible damage includes ceiling leaks, cracked walls above study desks, uneven floors, and large diagonal cracks near the emergency exit. A 2014 ZCS Engineering assessment found the pilings had failed and predicted the building would be safe only until 2019. Supporters and the city council have pursued a replacement building but have been unable to raise funds. Voters rejected bond measures twice, most recently in November 2024, preventing financing for a new library.

Read at Oregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News