Sinking Grimes Library getting support

The Grimes Library seems to be sinking.

Thick weight-bearing beams in the 30-year-old building appear to be rotting, as the plaster around the beams is cracking and crumbling.

"You look at something like this and you think it'll hold up the Earth. But really, the Earth will swallow it," said County Librarian Wendy Burke.

"These big heavy timbers are sinking. They're doing something or else there wouldn't be these cracks," added Grimes Librarian Rose Ann Ellis, who brings a contagious enthusiasm to the library.

Plaster is cracking and crumbling in at least two places inside the building. Rot can be seen on the outside of the building at the base of beams where water had been pooling.

Colusa County supervisors agreed on Feb. 19 to gather bid proposals for the necessary repairs. There is no estimate on what the fix will cost.

"The Board of Supervisors have been really supportive of the libraries, which makes me happy," said Burke.

The library building was constructed in late 1982, on Main Street between Second and Third Street. It was built to replace the original library. "Oh heavens, it was there since the beginning of Grimes in 1850 and something," Ellis said about the original building.

According to the June 6, 1983 edition of the Colusa County Sun-Herald, a ceremony for the current building was attended by state and county officials and included a welcome speech by Ellis and a performance by the students of Grand Island School.

Those same students created a time capsule that was placed under the dedicated plaque in front of the building.

Now, the Grimes Library provides more than books for children and adults. It has computers available and people go to the library to fax, copy and use the wireless Internet.

"It's really a community center, and we like that," said Burke.