Mayoral Candidate Says Old Bridge Library In Dire Need Of Repairs

OLD BRIDGE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A damaged roof at the local library in Old Bridge, New Jersey has led to plenty of complaints, but little action, according to Democratic mayoral candidate, William Cerra.

Cerra, a former police captain, says the roof of the Aldrich Library has been damaged for about three years.

"They got a problem with the roof, it leaks. You got tarps hanging over the books, you got buckets all over the place," Cerra told 1010 WINS. "It's been like that for quite some time...and the current mayor and administration said they were going to take care of the problem and nothing's been done."

Cerra claims the mayor has cut the library budget by $300,000.

"It's very frustrating for the individuals who work there, and of course the people who go there tend to stay away from the specific area because they don't want to go near it, they don't want to get hurt," Cerra said.

He said the repairs should have been made immediately.

"The more you let a problem exist, the bigger the problem becomes and the more it costs to fix it in the long run. So when there's a problem, you fix it immediately," Cerra said.

John Mayer told CBS2's Hazel Sanchez that he and his family come to the library every week.

"There's just a bunch of stuff that can happen in books, and well, the possibilities are endless," Mayer said.

Mayor Owen Henry told CBS2 that the roof is scheduled to be fixed as part of the city's energy savings improvement program.

The plan was approved last October and will include repairing the roof, and improving the heating, air conditioning, and lighting.

Cerra wants to know why the repairs aren't happening sooner.

"My concern is that somebody is going to get injured or hurt, and then the town will get sued, and that's more money. The taxpayers deserve to have their houses taken care of. This is one of hour houses. It should be fixed," Cerra said.

Mayor Henry said the library has always been a priority.

"It did take longer than I wanted it to get done. I thought this project would move along a lot quicker than it did," Henry said, "But we are doing what it takes to get it done, and we are committed."

City officials said the roof project will be complete sometime around Thanksgiving. Locals said they'll be grateful when that happens.