Pahrump Community Library closes for renovations

The Pahrump Community Library is closing its doors to undergo a much-needed renovation project after being nearly untouched for roughly 24 years.

With only one year shy of being a quarter of a century old, the library is just days away from approving their final contract to renovate part of the library. As of Monday, the library closed its doors to begin preparing thousands of books to be protected from being damaged during the renovation project.

Ever since Shanna Gibbons, the current interim director of the library, started working for the library 12 years ago there have been talks about needing to replace the carpet. And now after running out of carpet replacement tiles, it’s time.

“It’s finally coming to a head,” Gibbons said. “We’re excited.”

But the details are not yet finalized.

The Library District Board of Trustees did not get to make a final decision on all the renovation items listed in the Dec. 9 meeting. What was voted on in the meeting were the two estimated amounts for the moving and plumbing costs.

Because the estimates in the initial meeting were not the final estimates from the contractors, the new amount must be voted on in the next emergency meeting to move forward with the new expenses.

Emergency meeting

At the start of the month, the Board of Trustees intended to vote on the final moving and plumbing costs, minus the painting cost. Now the board must meet two days before Christmas to finalize their budget for the renovation.

The library is replacing the carpet, repainting the inside and renovating the bathroom. And currently the board is finalizing a few contracts.

In the initial meeting, the library was quoted $9,779 for roughly a week’s worth of work by Smooth Movers, a moving company based in Pahrump. The company was responsible for clearing the area for renovations and once work was completed, the moving company would move everything back into the library.

To renovate the bathrooms, Gunny’s Air Conditioning and Plumbing, another local business, gave the board an estimate of $3,250 to remove the bathroom equipment.

But now the cost has doubled after the amount of work involved increased.

In an updated quote, the moving company has now quoted the board $17,850, since now the books can no longer stay at the library while the work continues. The company will have to store the books in a storage unit while the library undergoes the renovations.

The plumbing company updated their quote to $12,070 after a contract discount, for not only removing the bathroom hardware but also reinstalling it.

On Dec. 23, the board will have three contracts to pick from that range in the tens of thousands of dollars.

All three of the contracts are from Las Vegas companies: CertaPro Painters, Rudy’s Elite Renovations and Las Vegas Painting Company.

To repair, prep and paint the inside of the library, Rudy’s Elite Renovations gave the board a $96,320 price tag. CertaPro Painters estimated $65,778, since it excluded select areas.

The Las Vegas Painting Company also threw their hat into negotiations to do the work for $57,500.

So far, the cost might be anywhere between $87,420 and $183,740 before the carpet contractor has been decided. It is too early to tell what the cost might be as the contract is still being advertised. As of Friday, the contractors still have 20 days to give an estimate.

A contract won’t be decided until the end of January, after the painter gets started.

As contracts fall into play, it is estimated the library will remain closed for at least a few months. After the contractors finish their tasks, the work begins for library staff as they reorganize the books and situate the library the way it once was.

“It’s a lot of work, but I’m definitely excited to get the work done,” Gibbons said. “The end result will all be worth it.”

Long time coming

Although the library will be closed, that doesn’t mean the library isn’t able to provide the community with reading materials.

The library will offer digital books on Kindle devices and audio books through the Libby app, and documentaries and television shows will be accessible on the Kanopy app that can be downloaded on Smart TVs and other devices.

Patrons can even start to learn a second language through the free use of Rosetta Stone on the library’s website.

And all overdue fines will be waived if an item is due when the library is closed for renovations. The drop box is still open most days to return books.

In the meantime, the library staff will take part in webinars and training for the grand reopening of the library in the spring.

For more information on accessing the library’s resources, follow the Pahrump Community Library on Facebook.

Contact Jimmy Romo at jromo@pvtimes.com. Follow @JimmyRomo.News on Instagram.