By Paul Thompson

Northeast News

For at least the time being, the community rooms at the Northeast Branch of the Kansas City Public Library will be without air conditioning.

According to Joel Jones, Deputy Director of Library Services for the Kansas City Public Library, the public meeting rooms will be closed until sometime next week as the library works to find a crane capable of replacing a broken air conditioning unit. The unit is one of three total at the branch.

“I’d hope by the end of next week,” Jones said of the timeline for replacement. “That’s as accurate as we can get.”

If Northeast residents need to book a meeting room in the interim, the Kansas City Public Library is encouraging patrons to do so at the Lucile H. Bluford Branch (3050 Prospect Ave.), at least until Friday, June 15. The library had previously scheduled air conditioning replacement at another nearby location, the Trails West Branch (3627, 11401 East 23rd St S, Independence, MO), on Thursday, June 14, prompting that branch to shut down for a day.

Jones further noted that the broken air conditioning unit was nearing the end of its lifespan, and that the library system had hoped the unit would last until the Northeast Branch was renovated – which is tentatively scheduled for sometime in the next 6-12 months.

“We were anticipating needing to replace it, but we were hoping to get another year out of it,” Jones said.

With the temperature expected to approach triple digits over the next several days, library representatives stated that the other two air conditioning units are still operational at the Northeast Branch. As such, the Branch will remain open as it waits for a replacement air conditioning unit for the community rooms.