The Rowan Public Library Headquarters roof sprung a leak during the recent storms two weeks ago, causing water to run into the building. That water from the storm on June 19 and June 20 caused damage to some of the books in the historical book collection.

The leak damaged at least four books located in the Edith M. Clark History Room according to County Manager Aaron Church, causing the staff at the library to have to move the books into a freezer so that they could await repairs. There is no timeline for the repairs or certainty about how much damage was done to the books.

Wet books are moved into a freezer in order to keep the books in their current state and prevent further damage, such as mold growth or the water causing the ink to dissolve.

The leak also allegedly caused damage to ceiling tiles in the bathrooms of the library as well as causing water to fall on top of the computers on the second floor of the library.

The Rowan County Board of Commissioners budget for the fiscal year of 2024 has ticketed $450,000 as a one-time capital expenditure for the replacement of the roof.

According to Church the roof is old enough that the county earmarked the roof repair money during the fiscal year of 2023 before the recent leak caused damage. However, due to the large amount of money the county is having to spend to replace the roof, the project had to be opened for bids this year. The roof replacement project will officially open for bids in August.