The new elevator in the Bartholomew County Public Library won’t be in operation for another month or so due to unforeseen issues with the installation.
Oracle Elevator Company, who began work in the middle of December, found a half-inch buffer between the elevator panels and the cab walls when installing, meaning the panels were the wrong size, per BCPL Director Jason Hatton.
Once the panels are remanufactured, there’s about a weeks’ worth of work to install and conduct an inspection. Hatton expects the elevator will be working by the end of February.
Library officials initially had hopes it would be available for use starting this week.
The original elevator, which had been service since 1969, failed on March 24 of last year. Although it was fixed, the library board went ahead and approved a $119,900 bid from Oracle to replace it in April.
The library has closed lower-level meeting rooms, moved programming to the building’s main level and added portable toilets outside while the elevator is undergoing repairs.