The liberal and trendy city of Boulder, Colorado, had to close their main library over excessive contamination from methamphetamine. Levels so high that two employees were sent to the ER, in separate incidents.
Library closed indefinitely
The city of Boulder, CBS reports, “closed its main library at 1001 Arapahoe Avenue on Monday afternoon for environmental testing after methamphetamine use was discovered in the facility’s restrooms.”
They’ll be “taking swab samples of surfaces inside and outside of the restrooms.” Nobody actually knows how to read anymore, so today’s libraries part homeless shelter, part book warehouse.
With the mercury plummeting, the last thing meth addicts want to do is go outside and consume. Not when the facility has such nice warm restrooms.
The Boulder Public Library closed Monday after environmental testing of six of its restrooms that morning showed unsafe levels of methamphetamine in the vents. https://t.co/xbm6JA6xPs
— The Denver Post (@denverpost) December 21, 2022
According to Sarah Huntley, spokesperson for the city of Boulder, “the question right now is whether these levels, which we’re concerned about, are confined to the exhaust vents in the restrooms, or whether the residue has also developed or been deposited on parts of the library that people have more access to.”
She’s become an expert in the problem. “The biggest concern for methamphetamine contamination in short bursts like that… is if it’s on the surfaces.” They didn’t make the decision to displace the local homeless lightly.
The city notes “the decision to close the library was made after air duct testing on six restrooms showed residue inside the ducts that had higher-than-acceptable levels of methamphetamine.”
Recent spike in reports
Officials are also concerned because the ducts known to be contaminated also blow “air and contaminants outside the building.” They aren’t speculating, but obviously suspect, that contaminants are all over surfaces inside the library.
They admit the crisis “comes after a recent spike in reports of individuals smoking in public restrooms over the past four weeks.”
On two separate occasions, the city confirmed, “city employees were evaluated and cleared of ongoing health concerns.” The doctors told them both they were “experiencing symptoms consistent with a potential exposure to meth residue or fumes.” Library Director David Farnan isn’t happy with the situation. He remembers when people actually came to the library for information.
So many people are doing meth in the Boulder public library that's its being closed indefinitely due to health concerns…seems bad pic.twitter.com/AWvKslaZWA
— Carina Julig (@CarinaJulig) December 20, 2022
“This is truly a sad situation and represents the impact of a widespread epidemic in our country.” The illiteracy epidemic more than the meth one. Intelligent people put the meth pipe down eventually, even when they “dabble.”
“The city is consulting with Boulder County Public Health officials and will take all steps necessary to prioritize safety. We are committed to transparency and appropriate remediation.” Moving forward, they really need to lock the bathrooms and restrict access but probably won’t.
“There is no set timeline right now, but the results of the testing will guide the city’s remediation plan for the library, as well as the level of restroom service offered to patrons moving forward. The latter is a much more complicated decision since the warmth and restrooms inside the public building can be crucial resources for people experiencing homelessness.“
