On November 4th, Decorah residents voted on a $1.3 million Library Maintenance Bond to fix critical issues in the city's oldest, largest, and busiest building.
The bond was approved with 74.21% of the vote! THANK YOU, Decorah voters, for entrusting us with your tax dollars! We’re excited to roll up our sleeves and get to work on these projects. Kristin Torresdal, DPL’s Director, wanted to pass on the following message:
“We are so grateful for the community’s support. The repairs and improvements we can now do will help safeguard the building for years to come and ensure the library remains a safe, reliable, and welcoming public space for everyone who depends on it. I’m so proud of our entire library team for the extraordinary work they did to assess our needs, develop thoughtful solutions, and communicate them clearly to the public.”
So, what’s next?
We’ll work with City Hall to get the ball rolling on securing the bond funds. We’ve already reached out to our building managers and project partners to start working on plans and timelines for specs, bid documents, etc.
We plan to keep you updated as this process moves along.
Thanks for being the best library users in the state! We could not have done this without your support. We’re so grateful to get to serve you every day!
Maintenance Bond Projects
Details and Status
Address water on the east side of the building
🟠 In Progress – Work is underway.
Beginning July 9, construction will start on the east side of the library to address ongoing water intrusion issues and includes replacing the siding and windows on the east half of the building. Our construction crews need space to work safely and need to store semi-loads of siding and other materials for the project. Construction is expected to continue through October 30.
Construction Impacts
- Parking lot between the library and the Haymarket will be closed.
- Alley between the library and Anderson Law Office will be closed.
- Lower-level entrance will be closed.
- Lower-level drive-up book drop will be closed.
Library Access
- The Main Street entrance will remain open.
- The Winnebago Street book drop will remain available.
- The library plans to maintain normal operating hours throughout construction.
- Temporary signage will direct visitors to available entrances and services.
Issues
Rain gets through the exterior of the east half of the building, damaging steel supports, drywall, shelves, and carpets.
Causes
The exterior siding on the east half of the building is not waterproof. It was built with an ineffective moisture barrier and insufficient window flashing, allowing water into the building.
The Fix
- Remove the current exterior
- Install a proper moisture barrier
- Install new sheathing, air barrier, flashing, insulation, and composite fiber cement panels
- Install new windows.
Percentage of Bond
73%
Drainage and Lower Level Restrooms
🔵 Planning – Design, bidding, or permitting.
Issues
Rain floods the lower level restrooms and server room, damaging floors, walls, and equipment.
Causes
Water runs down the sidewalk and pools at the Main St. entrance of the building and drains along the foundation of the historic side of the building. A roof drain in this corner of the building is also faulty, draining water behind the walls in the lower level.
The Fix
- Remove sidewalk adjacent to the Main St. entrance
- Grade sidewalk slope away from the building
- Install a drain to move water to the street
- Replace the sidewalk
- Repair the roof drain pipe
- Repair lower level restrooms and bring to full ADA compliance
Percentage of Bond 10%
Attic Insulation
🔵 Planning – Design, bidding, or permitting.
Issues
Condensation is causing the ceiling to delaminate in the historic side of the building.
Causes
There isn't enough insulation in the attic, which allows too great of a temperature gradient between the attic and the air conditioned spaces below. This allows condensation to form and is delaminating the ceiling membrane. The ceiling partially collapsed in 2019 and nearly hit someone in the building.
The Fix
- Remove existing insulation from the attic
- Add new insulation to R49
- Repair the ceiling on the historic side of the building
Percentage of Bond
5%
Exterior Maintenance
🔵 Planning – Design, bidding, or permitting.
Issues
Water gets into cracks in masonry and through old sealants on the building.
Causes
This is caused by age and regular wear and tear on a building.
The Fix
- Tuckpoint the masonry
- Remove and replace failed or aging sealants and seals around every window, door, joint, and seam on the exterior of the building
Percentage of Bond
4%
Fire Alarm Panel
🔵 Planning – Design, bidding, or permitting.
Issues
The fire alarm control system is failing.
Causes
The power supply for the fire alarm control panel is failing and cannot be repaired or replaced due to the age of the unit. This panel controls or monitors all fire detectors, alarms and sprinkler systems in the building. The panel is also the emergency announcement system for the library.
The Fix
- Replace the fire alarm control panel
- Replace all the smoke detectors, alarms, and sprinkler controls
Percentage of Bond
4%
HVAC Unit
🟢 Complete – Project finished.
The new HVAC unit was installed in June.
Issues
A 30-year-old HVAC unit is failing
Causes
The HVAC unit is at the end of its life and can’t be repaired.
The Fix
- Replace the HVAC unit
Percentage of Bond
2%
Support Beams
🔵 Planning – Design, bidding, or permitting.
Issues
Several concrete support beams in the basement of the historic side of the building are damaged.
Causes
Likely caused by water getting into the beams, causing a reaction with the rebar in the concrete, which then cracked the beams.
The Fix
- Remove broken concrete
- Stabilize rebar
- Install new concrete
Percentage of Bond
2%
Our building inspectors and vendors are anticipating 5-7% cost increases every year. These escalating costs do not include any impact from tariffs. Based on a 6% annual increase, here are the additional costs associated with deferring the work on these projects:
2026 - $78,000
2027 - $160,680
2028 – $248,321
2029 – $350,861
Architectural renderings of east side repairs
