Library Inspection Details Wide-Ranging Needs
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Items listed in the library inspection report include ensuring the handicap ramps meets federal requirements.
WATER VALLEY — A recent inspection of the Blackmur Memorial Library building revealed widespread maintenance and safety concerns throughout the facility. The 43-page report, prepared by McGehee Home Inspections, documents issues with plumbing, electrical systems, flooring, heating and cooling, among other concerns.
Mayor Tommy Reynolds said the findings reflect the broader reality the city has been confronting since he took office in February 2024.
“A lot of things have to happen in the city,” Reynolds told the Herald, comparing the library’s condition to other long-standing challenges, including renovations to The Civic and ongoing work related to the city’s electric grid, sidewalks and streets.
The building was originally constructed in the 1930s as a private residence and later donated to the city in 1977 for use as a library. While the inspection found the roof to be functional, it identified leaking around the chimney, deteriorated mortar, missing chimney caps and drainage issues that allow water to flow toward the foundation.
Inside the building, the report notes uneven and soft flooring that may require subfloor evaluation, outdated heating and cooling systems dating to the 1970s, plumbing components well beyond their typical life expectancy and multiple electrical and fire safety deficiencies, including missing or non-operational smoke alarms and exit lighting.
Reynolds said the depth of the findings came as a surprise.
“I am glad I requested to have the study and the Board of Aldermen agreed,” he said. “I don’t think we realized the depth of need at the library.”
The city’s initial response, he said, will focus on immediate safety concerns. That work will begin with the Water Valley Fire Department installing fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
“That is a small thing, but in a way it is not,” Reynolds said.
Additional short-term attention will turn to the condition of the floors, which the inspection flagged as uneven and potentially compromised.
“It is a long list,” Reynolds said.
Any long-term plan for the library, he said, will be developed in consultation with the library board.
“My plan is to hear what they have to say,” Reynolds said. “It depends on funding sources. I would like to see the library building and structure be second to none. I would like for the library to be like the Civic. We want it to be first class, but we have to do it within our means.”
Since taking office, Reynolds has framed many of the city’s infrastructure challenges through the same lens.
“The old saying is you can pay now or you can pay later,” Reynolds has said repeatedly. “Well, payday has arrived in Water Valley, and we have a lot of work to do in the city.”
Beyond the library, the city has pursued several major projects aimed at addressing deferred maintenance and improving public services. Those efforts include the renovation of The Civic, improvements to the city’s electric system and the formation of the Water Valley Electric Commission in August 2025, a $1.2 million bond for street improvements that is still in its early stages and efforts to secure a grant from the Mississippi Department of Transportation for sidewalk upgrades.
Reynolds said those projects reflect a broader effort to methodically address long-standing problems rather than allow them to continue compounding.
At the heart of the library discussion, he said, is the city’s long-term vitality.
“If we are going to have progress as a city, we have to have amenities and services to attract young people and older people,” Reynolds said.
For that reason, he said, the library remains a priority despite the scale of need.
“A library is a no-brainer,” Reynolds said. “A good library. A good facility. You want something that is safe and welcoming and functional.”
Reynolds emphasized that the issues outlined in the inspection report developed over decades.
“These needs didn’t happen overnight,” he said. “They happened over the last 20 years. The bill is due.”
