SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City Public Library downtown had to close its doors this week to make a crucial plumbing repair.
Jalyn Bender says the library is a Salt Lake City landmark.
“Anytime we have someone who comes and visits, we come in, walk around because it's so cool," she said.
Jalyn and Aidan Bender were looking forward to showing their friend from out-of-town the inside of the building.
“We saw the sign on the parking garage and we were like, 'Oh, that can't be real. You can't close the library,'" Jalyn said. "We came up here anyway, and turns out it was real. The library's closed.”
The library being closed is a serious issue for the city’s most vulnerable, she said.
“We have a fairly big homeless population too," said Jalyn. "People just come in to get warm, and so that's sad that it's not a resource for that either. And then like clean water and a place for phones, internet, that kind of thing.”
The Salt Lake City Public Library sent the following statement to FOX 13 News:
"The Main Library’s main sewer line needs replacement. On Wednesday afternoon, the Facilities team noticed a small leak and brought in plumbing contractors to make further inspections. The water was turned off and will remain off until the sewer line can be replaced. However, the building cannot remain open to the public or staff without running water.
"Fortunately, this was caught before it could become a bigger issue. The books and other materials are safe and sound, and there is no damage to the building. While this is indeed a critical repair, it is not catastrophic. As this is an extensive repair, a reopening date is unknown at this time, but the teams are working as quickly as possible to get the building operational again.
"The City Library’s seven neighborhood branches remain open with regular hours. Patrons can call their closest neighborhood branch [services.slcpl.org] to have their holds transferred from the Main Library. Due dates for items borrowed from Main have been extended, and patrons may always return their materials to any of the branches if they so choose."
