Sebastopol officials provide update on library mold remediation

More than a month after the abrupt closure of the Sebastopol Regional Library following the discovery of black mold, city officials on Tuesday revealed the extent of the damage and approved another round of remediation work which could bring the total cost to reopen to around $500,000.

The council voted 4-0 to approve spending up to $175,000 for the next phase of mold remediation and authorized the reimbursement of nearly $48,000 for emergency testing and containment work completed after the library closed June 4. Mayor Jill McLewis was absent.

Preliminary estimates put the cost of the building's reconstruction at another $200,000, placing a financial burden on the cash-strapped city.

The updates came after residents urged the council to provide more information about the closure, saying the library serves as an essential community service and that weeks had passed without meaningful public communication.

"Thousands of patrons are missing this library," said Kalia Mussetter during the meeting. "We are not looking for definitive information. We know you are in a really complex process and you're juggling elephants. All we want is information about the process you are in and to be assured that you care and understand that this library is essential to this town."

In a presentation to the city council, Public Works Director Oriana Hart outlined a three-phase response to the mold discovery.

Library staff first noticed peeling wallpaper and signs of moisture intrusion on June 4, prompting the building's immediate closure. During exploratory openings of the walls, Hart said, workers discovered black mold inside the wall cavities.

Environmental testing conducted in the days that followed revealed elevated airborne mold spores, moisture in the walls and dry rot.

Crews contained the mold, completed testing and initial cleanup as part of the first phase of the response.

According to city staff, the second phase approved Tuesday will involve removing wallpaper and drywall along exterior walls, remediating mold inside wall cavities and assessing structural damage caused by the elevated moisture levels.

That work is expected to take at least a month, after which staff will return to the council with cost estimates for the reconstruction of the building.

No target date for reopening was announced Tuesday night.

Sebastopol has grappled with a structural budget deficit and has been in a fiscal state of emergency in recent years and the repair work carries a significant burden.

The city has drawn heavily from its roughly $595,000 building reserve fund to pay for the work, leaving only about $195,000 for the remaining fiscal year.

Council member Stephen Zollman called the scale of the investment "astounding."

"I don't feel comfortable at all with the price being proposed now," Zollman said, adding there already have been discussions about the library's current building not being suitable long-term.

Council member Neysa Hinton said with "no immediate plan to figure out money for a new library," the costs were burdensome, but necessary.

During the meeting, Library Director Erika Thibault urged the council to move forward with the repairs.

"It makes good sense to repair the existing building while we work on a long-term plan for a future, larger library," she said.

For now, Sebastopol library patrons can pick up any books they had on hold at the Forestville Community Library.

City staff also reassured residents they are working to have the Bibliobus, the system's mobile library, visit Sebastopol twice a week and are coordinating with the library to find a temporary space for services including holds pick-ups.

You can reach Staff Writer Anna Armstrong at 707-521-5254 or at anna.armstrong@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @annavarmstrongg.

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This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 6:41 PM.