One year later: Hudson Public Library still working to rebuild after storm damage
HUDSON, Wis. -- Saturday marks one year since a strong storm blew through the Twin Cities and into Hudson, Wisconsin, devastating the riverfront city. One of the biggest losses was the Hudson Public Library.
"I went on a tour of the city and it was almost apocalyptic," said Rich O'Connor, Mayor of Hudson, as he recounts that day the city woke up to severe damage from straight-line winds.
Those winds ripped the roof off a beach house, along the St. Croix River, sending it directly into the Hudson Public Library.
"The children's area was just covered in glass. It shattered everywhere," said Shelley Tougas, the library director.
RELATED: Major storm damage prompts Hudson Public Library to close
The damage forced them to keep their doors shut for four months while they rebuilt and cleaned up.
"A crew came in, they had to clean 40,000 books, inspect them, clean them for glass," said Tougas, "It's amazing to me we only lost 400 books in the children's section."
The library's Board President, Paul Berning, expected to be back open in a few months, but one year later and parts of the building are closed down.
"Supply chain issues have caused a lot of disruption in restoring this library after the storm," said Berning, "It's devastating to see how long it's taken, but it's great to see that it's coming back together."
Following closures from the pandemic, then storm damage, this library is bracing for another battle that could close its doors once again. A $200,000 budget deficit that has built up from historic state tax levies.
"I call on our state legislator to look at redesign, reconfigure how our libraries are funded because this isn't just happening here. We have libraries around the state that are suffering dramatically," said O'Connor.
This budget deficit ultimately hurts those who come to the library to play and learn.
"It's just not a library if you don't have happy kids inside the building," said Tougas.
Hudson Library functions primarily on donations.