Toxic mould closes Waikanae Library

The Waikanae Library is closed due to toxic mould.

Kāpiti Coast District Council has closed the Waikanae Library and Service Centre as a precaution, following air quality test results showing the presence of toxic mould.

Regulatory services group manager Natasha Tod said the closure isn't an ideal situation, but they take seriously any potential risk to the health of staff and customers.

"We recently carried out air quality testing at the Waikanae Library and the results show that two types of mould are present that are of concern - one is non-toxic (penicillium/aspergillus) but has the potential to cause hay fever-like symptoms, and the other is toxic (stachybotrys).

"The testing was carried out to assess whether leaks and water damage in the library building posed a risk to the health and safety of staff and customers.

"The toxic mould was present in three of the four sites sampled within the building.

"As a precaution the library has been closed and it will remain closed until we're confident the toxic mould has been addressed.

"At this stage it appears the library will be closed for 1-2 weeks for maintenance and testing but we'll let customers know more when we have a solid timeline.

"We know the services we provide from the library are valuable to our Waikanae customers and we're focused on reopening as soon as we can."

In the meantime, library and customer services are available online at www.kapiticoast.govt.nz and in Paraparaumu and Ōtaki, and the council is looking at whether they can continue providing some services in Waikanae during this time.

"We know this isn't an ideal situation, and we're doing everything we can to fix the situation as quickly as possible.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank everyone in advance for their patience and understanding."

At any given time there are around four to six staff working in the Waikanae Library and Service Centre.

During the closure council will be working with staff to reallocate tasks and they will work from the other libraries or service centres.