Members of the Flossmoor Public Library board say they have a sinking feeling. They’re stuck on how best to operate the library without hearing from the village on how it will fix the library’s sinkhole.

The sinkhole resulted in the Adult Fiction section being relocated to the other side of the first floor in March 2025, with yellow caution tape marking the area off limits, Barnes said. 

Flossmoor Library trustee Jessica Barnes told village board members at their Sept. 15 meeting that the library board has plans for several building updates, but can’t move forward without a timeline for repairs to the first floor sinkhole.

“For over a year, the village has provided little communication, no concrete plans, and no timeline to remedy the situation,” Barnes said. “Our major concern is a lack of safety.”

After making her appeal, Barnes said: “As fellow elected officials and Flossmoor residents, I know both the library board and the village board view the library as an essential service in the community and want to find a solution.”

The village is working with an architect, but Village Manager Bridget Wachtel said she couldn’t provide any updated timeline for the work.

Barnes went over the timeline from when they found the sinkhole till now, how it has impacted business in the library and expressed how the library board wants to take the next steps in getting it repaired. 

Barnes was joined by fellow library board trustees Christina Roberts, Lisa Komorowski, and Leilani Shute. Although the library has an operating board separate from the village, the library building and the land it’s on are owned by the village and its budget is part of village operations.

Barnes said the preliminary work done for inspection resulted in a 12-foot-deep hole outside the library that is only covered by plywood and marked with safety cones. She said it does not fully cover the hole; the wood can be easily picked up and cannot hold much weight. That concerns the library board that’s had to deal with an injury lawsuit in the last decade. 

Along with the possible hazard of the plywood covering outside the library, Barnes said she worries about safety inside the building. The current placement of the fiction section is blocking the sight lines leading to the study rooms creating a possible safety risk. 

Without knowing the status of fixing a foundation, the library’s future projects are impacted, Barnes said. 

“For the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the library board approved plans to create a family bathroom and remodel the youth services department,” Barnes said. “We are unable to proceed with these projects until the foundation is fixed.” 

Currently, the library board is unaware if construction will cause the closure of the library, when and for how long. 

Barnes said if the library was shut down, sponsored programming and community group meetings would be affected. Library rooms are booked in advance and the groups would need to find time to get an alternate location. 

Mayor Michelle Nelson said Village Manager Bridget Wachtel has been in touch with Library Director Jamie Paicely regarding the issue but cannot give a definitive schedule to anything currently. 

Nelson also asked public works staff to check on the safety of the sinkhole covering outside the library.

Wachtel said the village is in collaboration with an architect and structural engineer trying to figure out the root cause of the problem and suspect it has to do with an abandoned storm sewer.