Library Infrastructure Fails Again The San Marino Public Library was without water or Internet access on Wednesday, February 19 because of a broken water pipe that flooded the basement. On Tuesday evening, February 18, just before midnight, library janitors placed an emergency call to the San Marino Fire Department in response to water flowing into the basement from the crawlspace that runs under the first floor around the perimeter of the library. Firemen secured the situation by shutting off the water, unplugging the downstairs computers, and pumping most of the standing water off of the floor. In the morning, plumbers climbed into this small tunnel to clamp off two leaks in corroded, asbestos-coated water pipes. A "recovery" company arrived to dry the basement. When they plugged in their fans, the library circuit breakers tripped. Electricians had to be called in to rewire the basement to supply enough power for the recovery team to begin their work. On Thursday morning, the pressure valve on top of the library water boiler, a mid-century behemoth that supplies heat through steam pipes, burst, flooding the basement again. Repairmen arrived to reveal deep corrosion throughout the pipes within the boiler's heart. A replacement valve for the antique heating unit has been ordered from New York from the only vendor in the country that can still supply the part. Though the plumbing will be patched, expensive recovery work take longer to complete. Water that flowed from the crawlspace was contaminated with detritus from the last half-century, including animal fecal matter and remains. This effluent soaked into the carpet and under the asbestos floor tiles of the library basement, creating an environment ideal for the growth of deadly molds. Staff works in the basement every day to put new books on the shelves, so the tiles and carpets may need to be replaced in order to make that work area habitable again. The presence of asbestos in the floor tiles means that this repair work will have to conform to stringent abatement standards.

Heart of the library boiler is clogged with fifty years of corrosion.