October 15, 2021
Dear Friends and Neighbors:
As you are already aware, Kendall Library has been under construction for a few months now and I wanted to share an update of the progress. In doing so, I am including a number of pictures in this email so you can see what is going on and how far they are progressing. 
OVERALL TIMELINE

The contractor indicated that they plan on finishing the interior completely by December 10th, 2021.  The exterior should be completed by March 25th, 2022.  The fact that the exterior is going to take longer does not mean that the library can not open earlier because the contractor indicated that he could build a small overhang thus allowing ingress and egress to the facility.  However, the Library Department indicated that they would want a few months to be able to bring in the new books and to organize the library and train the new staff. This is understandable.  However, I am encouraging them to do so as soon as possible so we do not have to wait until March 25th, 2022.  I am trying to get them to open by February 1st, 2022. 
INTERIOR
As you can tell from the photos, much of the interior remains the same. Due to the water damage, the sheet rock and other materials had to be pulled. Some of the metal studs were removed and replaced, but the floorplan remains unchanged. 
Therefore, emphasis has been on the sheetrock replacement, repainting, rewiring, and the elevators. As you can see in the photos, we are waiting on ceiling tiles and the floors need to be installed. 
EXTERIOR
In addition to the normal issues concerning the roof and some windows, along with replacing areas damaged by Harvey, you will notice an improvement built in all around the library.  In order to prevent something like Harvey from ever destroying the library, there is a five foot four inch waterproof wall which will stop water from entering the building being built around the library. You can see the trenches being dug around the building and you can see a mock up of the wall itself with its component parts. The height of the wall was determined by the water marks left after Harvey in the hope of preventing future flooding of the building should water ever reach that level again.
ISSUES WITH THE PROJECT


The substantial completion date was delayed a few months because of the unavailability of roof insulation materials due to COVID-19. As you may know, there is a large supply chain issue affecting the whole nation in all sorts of materials and products. This is especially true in building supplies. We may encounter a few more delays due to supply shortages, but for now, it seems we are ahead of the game except for roofing insulation materials. 
LIBRARY BOOKS
I am pleased to report that all of the library books that sat abandoned in the library since it was damaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 have been saved and are all at new homes! Almost 50,000 books were scheduled to be thrown out in the trash before the repairs to the library began due to an archaic FEMA requirement.

The Library Department knew this and did nothing about the books for four years. When I found out earlier this year, I immediately went to work trying to find a home for these books. 
West Houston Assistance Ministries (WHAM) took nearly 15,000 books. 
 
Garwood Elementary picked up around 8,000 books to re-stock their library and others in the Rice Consolidated School District.  
 
The Houston Bar Association picked up almost 4,000 books for use in their annual book drive. 
 
Greenhouse International Church took about 18,000 books in partnership with various schools.  
 
Coldspring Area Public Library took around 6,000 books for use in their library.  
I want to give a special thank you to A-Rocket Storage for their tremendous cooperation as we searched to find homes for these books. Even though, legally, the books were their property and they could dispose of them, they kept the books at their warehouse and allowed us to schedule the various organizations to pick up boxes of books throughout the summer. 
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Greg Travis
Houston City Council Member, District G
900 Bagby, 1st Floor
Houston, TX 77002

Mailing:
P.O. Box 1562
Houston, TX 77251-1562

Phone: 832-393-3007
Email: DistrictG@HoustonTX.gov