By Lindsay Renner, Copy Editor
Contrary to popular belief, the library is not a death trap.
The scaffolding present underneath the loggia outside the Daniel A. Cannon Memorial Library has been the center of speculation for many Saint Leo students after returning from the summer to a completely foreign sight. Many have questioned whether or not it was safe to enter and exit the library under such precarious looking conditions, and rest assured, it is.
“It’s perfectly safe. Ugly, but safe,” said Frank Mezzanini, Vice President of Business and Finance. In fact, there may have never even have been a serious threat at all, even if repairs were strongly needed. “The bracing we have underneath there is called structural bracing,” said Mezzanini. “It would have collapsed if it wasn’t there, in our opinion. We don’t know, actually, but to make sure it didn’t we put the structural bracing there, which can easily hold it up.” The bracing was placed underneath the loggia under the summer when it was first noted that it was starting to pull away from the building, creating danger to those walking in and out of the library.
The loggia itself is not a part of the library’s original structure, which was erected around 40-50 years ago and was initially much smaller than the building students currently know and recognize. The third floor and the basement area were added on some years later, along with the windowed area and offices on the main level of the building. The loggia, however, was erected in the 1980s.
According to Mezzanini, the cost of maintaining the loggia as it currently exists gives “an incentive” to figure out what to do in terms of repairs. “We’re renting it for, believe it or not, 1500 a month, and it cost me 7500 dollars to get it installed…money’s just going away as we try to decide what we want to accomplish. We’re using the opportunity to say ‘How can I make it better?’”, said Mezzanini.
The decision for the school has become one of what to do with the existing loggia. Currently, the debate stands between two options: tearing the loggia down altogether and placing in something completely new, or repair what’s there. Mezzanini is hesitant to repair the existing loggia, saying instead that he wants to make it better than what it was. A variety of plans exist as options at this point.
The library will remain open through whatever changes occur at the front of the building, even if, as Mezzanini says, “There might be times where we have to use the backdoor to get in, but we’ll always have access.”
