GARDEN GROVE : Flaws Pull Rug From Under Main Library

Something is overdue at the county library here, and it isn’t a book.

The main library’s reopening, originally scheduled Feb. 13, may be delayed until late March, officials said.

Closed Dec. 11 for refurbishing, the Garden Grove Regional Library, 11200 Stanford Ave., remains out of service as workers replace a defective carpet.

“Basically, what we had was a flawed carpet,” said Georgia M. Weddle, north county regional administrator for the library system.

When the carpet to replace its worn predecessor arrived, “there were striations, bumps, knots” that would not do, she said.

Because much of the shelving and furniture sits on the carpet, a large part of the planned reorganization of the two-story library had to be halted while the county’s General Services Agency negotiated with the Santa Ana carpet firm that supplied the custom weave.

“The explanation that we got is that when they started the new spools, the first spool after they got started didn’t get woven in,” said Gary C. Gray, chief of facilities and construction for the agency. “They’ve promised to have it to us by March 8.”

The tentative date for reopening of the library is March 26.

Library customers have “been very understanding,” Weddle said. “We’ve had a few angry people, but most understand and want us to get good value for our money.”

In the meantime, librarians from the regional facility are helping to meet the greater demand at Garden Grove’s two branch libraries. The Chapman branch is at 9182 Chapman Ave., near Magnolia Street, and the West Garden Grove branch is at 11962 Bailey St., near Eastgate Park.