While Arvada Library remains closed until further notice, we will begin cleaning the affected areas on Monday, March 13. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we navigate this new issue for our community.
We announced the closure of the Arvada Library due to methamphetamine contamination in late January. Since then, we've been working closely with public health partners, including Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH), Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and an environmental consultant to identify next steps.
Because current Colorado regulations on meth contamination are designed for residential settings and don't necessarily apply to public spaces, JCPH advised JCPL to submit a variance to CDPHE. The variance was submitted by a certified contractor on February 24, and was approved by CDPHE on March 10 without modification or additional requirement.
We are now able to move forward with the cleanup of our public restrooms starting March 13. The process includes cleaning by a meth-certified contractor, resampling the site, lab analysis and then, ideally, releasing the building back to us for reopening.
Because the timeline is dependent on several variables, including testing results, we are unable to predict when the Arvada Library will reopen.
The health and safety of our staff and patrons continue to be our number one priority. In addition to working with public health partners, we are closely monitoring recent studies, which find that health risks from casual secondary exposure to meth residue (surfaces/smoke) in public places is very low as compared to longer-term exposure. We work hard to ensure that the library is a safe and welcoming place for everyone, and we will be adding more staffing resources focused on safety and navigation to help monitor any unwelcome behavior.
We truly miss our Arvada Library community. Our hope is that we can resume serving you as soon as possible.
As information about the closure develops, we will continue to update our FAQs. For questions about your holds, please email arholds@jeffcolibrary.org.
