Pima County officials have demanded owners of the shopping center where the Dusenberry-River Library is located pay nearly $3,400 to cover repair costs from recent water leaks.
“It’s all about operations and maintenance,” Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said, adding the property owner has neglected needed repairs. “The pictures I saw looked pretty Rube Goldberg.”
The leaks started last week in a restaurant site under construction upstairs from the library at the River Center, 5605 E. River Road.
Initially, the leaks came from a soda line and back-flow valve. But a second leak of a sewer line spilled into a breezeway next to the library and has caused additional problems, including limiting access for patrons.
County workers piled sandbags at the back door to prevent wastewater from flowing into the library.
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The damage to the library from the fresh-water leaks included saturated ceiling tiles, drenched carpets and water damage in a restroom.
“The biggest inconvenience is the unexpected shutdown of the library,” Huckelberry said.
Conditions at the neighboring restaurant frequently cause problems at the library, said Melinda Cervantes, the library director.
“I can account for six cases since March,” Cervantes said.
Past problems included an overflowing dishwasher leaking water into the library. Another time, restaurant workers left water running in a mop sink that also ran over into the library.
“This has been going on for years,” Cervantes said.
She said the recent water leaks have not caused full closures of the library, but they did result in closing off affected areas.
In addition to demanding $3,331 to cover repair costs, county officials want the property owner to pay for comprehensive plumbing inspections, conduct high-pressure water testing to help prevent future leaks and require the property management company to have a Tucson-based employee to handle facilities issues.
Maryland-based Global Retail Investors owns the shopping center and contracts property management duties to Phoenix-based Evergreen Development.
In an emailed statement, Evergreen Development’s Erin Sheehan said the company is aware of the problems and would work with the tenant and county to resolve the issues.
Global Retail Investors bought the 117,000-square-foot shopping center on the northeast corner of East River and North Craycroft roads in January 2014.
The company paid nearly $25 million for the property.
While fixing the frequent water issues is the county’s short-term priority, Cervantes said finding a new location for the library would be the preferred solution.
“As recently as July we have made a very concerted effort to find a location that might accommodate a library,” she said.
Cervantes said the county would prefer to keep the library close to its current location.
The county also would want to own the property, which has limited the options for a new location. Pima County owns the spot in the shopping center where the Dusenberry-River Library is located.
“We think we can do better at a different location,” Cervantes said. “But there’s no money in the budget to build a library in that area.”