HPL RESTORE & RENEW
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Thursday, June 29th, 2023
Speaker of the House Matt Ritter held a news conference Thursday to announce state funding for Hartford Public Library. Speaker Ritter was joined by Mayor Luke Bronin and members of the Hartford Legislative Delegation. Hartford Public Library was awarded $3.2 million of bonding commission money and a legislative appropriation to cover the gap between the insurance company's compensation and the estimated $8 million to $9 million in costs to clean up the damage that was caused.
The list of damage to the building and its contents is long and includes catastrophic water damage from cracked HVAC roof pipes that fed water through all four floors of the building's walls, floors, ceilings, panels and elevator shafts, furniture, computers books, movies and other materials. The elevators and main staircase will be replaced.
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Progress moves forward on Hartford Public Library's Downtown Library repairs. Extensive water damage necessitated a thorough review of the physical structure, including the electrical wiring, the HVAC system, and all informational and operational technology. Working in concert with The Travelers, progress moves forward on inspections and assessments.
HPL is engaging community input on the redesigning of those interior spaces hardest hit by water damage. Public meetings were well attended. If you were unable to join us, it's not too late to take advantage of an online survey in both English and Spanish to share your thoughts on how these critical community spaces could better serve your needs. Construction will continue throughout the summer, with portions of the Downtown Library reopened to the public this fall.
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As a valued member of our community, we invite you to engage in this process.
Please fill out our online Community Engagement Survey - it should take 4-5 minutes to complete.
We thank you for your interest in the
HPL Restore & Renew Campaign
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We appreciate everyone who has reached out asking how they can support Hartford Public Library after the Downtown Library suffered significant water damage due to a burst pipe on Christmas Eve. We are pleased to announce the launch of the HPL Restore & Renew campaign to help cover any repairs or restorations to the Downtown Library that may not be covered by insurance. While there is insurance to cover costs associated with cleanup and repair, we anticipate there may be additional costs that may not be covered.
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Visit the news and update pages to learn more.
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Click the button below to donate, and we are grateful for your support.
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Please contact Director of Donor Relations Gilda Roncari at groncari@hplct.org or (860) 695-6296 with any questions.