*The Lee Road Library reopened Wednesday after nearly a month of being closed. [Photos by Thomas J. Walsh]*

It was a dark and stormy midday, and the lights were on and the computers humming.

The spacious, two-story Lee Road Branch library in Cleveland Heights reopened Wednesday at noon, after nearly a month of being closed. The closure was caused by a serious electrical issue due to failed and aging infrastructure and subsequent delays caused by more problems being discovered along the way. Logistical glitches having to do with severe weather and utility company availability triggered further delays.

“I’m ecstatic,” said John Jarvey, a retired Cleveland Heights resident and a volunteer at the library. He and several other patrons were standing just outside the doors waiting to be let in by staff a few minutes before the reopening. “I’ve been reading about all the delays and whatnot. It was pretty frustrating.”

Macin Sheeder, the communications manager for Heights Libraries, said as of late last week, the goal was to reopen on Monday, March 30, “but as they started doing repairs they found even more damage and they realized it was going to take longer than they thought. As of now, I think all damage that can possibly be discovered has been discovered.”

The branch lost power on the afternoon of Saturday, March 7, resulting in a partial outage. It became total once it was discovered that multiple electrical panels that power two buildings had significant corrosion due to moist conditions on the interior to the system and about 20 years of usage, Sheeder said.

In addition, more wiring will need to be replaced than originally anticipated, the library reported on its Facebook page, and other electrical components will need to be repositioned to prevent future issues.

The library is connected by a footbridge over Lee Road to the Heights Knowledge and Innovation Center, or HKIC, which supports tech and workspace needs for local businesses, nonprofits, and individuals. The HKIC, though mostly unaffected, was closed to the public, but the adjacent Dobama Theatre’s performances and rehearsals were able to continue as scheduled.

More work needed

The library must close again — likely later in 2026 — for the electrical problem to be permanently fixed, Sheeder said, but when and for how long has yet to be determined. Heights Libraries has so far received only one estimate bid for the work, and it exceeded $100,000.

“That’s one of the first things we did when this all happened was try to figure out what it would take to replace it,” Sheeder said. Because of the pricey estimate and ongoing budget concerns, “we ended up going with this temporary option for now.”

Libraries across the state of Ohio have been facing budget cuts, Sheeder explained, “and because of that, from last year to this year, we did a flat budget.

“We budgeted the same amount of money for everything, for the most part, that we did last year. For something like this, we do have emergency funds, but it’s something that is definitely going to take a lot of coordination around the budget.”

Sheeder praised the efforts of City Electric, the company hired to complete the temporary repairs. They were not able to do so until FirstEnergy Corp. could shut down power entirely to the site, which was delayed several times — it was originally scheduled for Monday, March 16, but the priorities of snow and other weather-related outages elsewhere that week pushed it back. FirstEnergy postponed the shutoff yet again on March 24.

The city of Cleveland Heights has also been involved with permitting and other aspects of the work. “There’s a lot of different entities involved, which is why it’s been a little bit confusing for people,” said Sheeder.

The reopening was in danger of being delayed yet again on Tuesday evening (March 31) when heavy electrical storms battered Northeast Ohio, bringing widespread power outages across the region and a tornado threat.

“We were about to share our final announcement [that] we’re reopening tomorrow at noon, and just as I was getting ready to hit ‘send,’ I got the tornado warning,” said Sheeder. “We all had to go down to the basement, because I was in another branch at the time. Luckily, everything’s okay.”

Heights Libraries has three other branches: Coventry Village, Noble Neighborhood and University Heights.

All of the Lee Road employees were paid during the closure, with most reporting to other branches or working from home and a few taking vacation time. Those who couldn’t work from home or travel to other branches due to a lack of technology or transportation received calamity pay, the library stated on its website. Programs, meetings and events affected by the closure have been either cancelled or rescheduled, with updates appearing on the Heights Libraries calendar.