by Ashley DeVita
An update on the progress of the new Oceanside Library was released on September 1st, 2023. There have been numerous delays with the construction of the Library – some were due to COVID and supply chain issues which occurred at the beginning of the job in 2019.
Contractors have been continuously working to get this project done, but the unforeseen delays have slowed down the progress of the project. According to the Oceanside Library website, there was tests being done, such as re-construction tests which showed that the water and soil on the property are clean. The library also had to hire a company to manage the dewatering process, but this took a while because they had to set a plan with the State and approval was required which took months to be evaluated. After new plans were made, this caused another 6 month delay. According to the website, “The new plans called for 96 pump-points to be installed on our property and 6 monitoring wells at the shopping center.”
The contractors then had to construct the library basement and encountered delays as well. They also had to take part in daily monitoring of the water levels. Even though the library experienced multiple unexpected delays and significant cost increases, the good news is that there is no hazardous waste on the construction site. It’s still expected that the new Oceanside Library will open in June/July of 2024, but they hope to finish construction sooner.