CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston County Public Library (CCPL) and Charleston County Government have extended the deadline through Feb. 29 for community members to submit feedback about proposed solutions for ongoing flooding concerns at the West Ashley Library on Windermere Boulevard. This feedback will help both CCPL and the County determine the best way to proceed with the branch.
“Members of the community have strongly expressed their desire for more time to get full participation,” said Charleston County Councilman Brantley Moody. “I wanted to be sure that they had ample time to submit feedback on this vital issue.”
On Feb. 11, 2020, CCPL and the County hosted a community forum at the branch. At this forum, proposed options for addressing the flooding were presented (view the full presentation at ccpl.org) and feedback was collected.
- Via an online form available on the CCPL website
- Via a paper form, available at the West Ashley Library, located at 45 Windermere Blvd.
Flooding has been an ongoing issue for the library branch, particularly in recent years. In 2014, Charleston County voters passed a $108.5 million referendum to build five new libraries and renovate and update existing libraries. As part of the planning for renovations to the branch, the County retained Liollio Architecture to conduct a feasibility study to address the flooding. According to the report, the branch flooded three times and was closed a total of 112 days over the last four years. Over this same period, approximately $157,500 was spent to repair damages caused by flooding. The Library also spent more than $12,000 on replacing collection items such as books and other materials that were damaged by flood waters. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, the library was entirely flooded by at least 3 inches of tidal, rain, and sewer water, and had to be closed for approximately two months for repairs and cleaning.