After five years of not having a permanent home and moving between three temporary locations, Epps Memorial Library in north Lake Charles is reopening its doors.
In 2020, the Epps branch of the Calcasieu Parish Public Library suffered significant damage from hurricanes Laura and Delta — mostly water and intrusion. It was determined that the building, which originally opened in 2008, was unrepairable and a new facility needed to be built, according to library system Public Information Officer Christy Comeaux.
On Monday, the Epps Memorial Library is set to reopen at 1320 Simmons St.
“It’s been a long time in the making,” Comeaux said. “The north Lake Charles Community has gone without a permanent library since Hurricane Laura in 2020.”
After the building was damaged, library operations were moved into a portable building in the parking lot. However, the temporary site had to be moved to facilitate the demolition of the damaged library. So a new location was needed, and the library found space in a strip mall.
In December 2023, the strip mall caught on fire three months after the library moved in. Comeaux said the city then offered two rooms in the Donald Ray Stevens Community Center as a temporary home for the library services.
“The fire destroyed probably 80% to 90% of the items in there; there was significant water damage to a lot,” Comeaux said. “Luckily, we did save some of the items in there. We were able to restore them, but we also did use insurance money to purchase new items for the library.”
The temporary branch at the Donald Ray Stevens Community Center closed on Tuesday to prepare for the opening.
While the area had a temporary branch that moved between a few locations throughout the past five years, if community members needed more expansive services not offered at the temporary branch they had to travel into Moss Bluff or to other Lake Charles branches.
The approximately $2.4 million library project began in August 2024 and includes a 7,043-square-foot facility with a large area for books and other media, reading areas, study rooms, conference space, a large meeting space for programs and employee workspaces, according to a news release.
Although the new library has the same footprint as the previous building, Comeaux said it has more space.
“We’re able to put more items there, add more computers to the facility, have designated rooms for the teens and the children’s department,” Comeaux said. “It’s also being able to offer study rooms, which we didn’t have previously, and also a very large meeting room for the public to use.”
While the library officially opens Monday, Comeaux said they plan to have a celebration and ribbon cutting in November.
“The citizens of north Lake Charles, they heavily rely on their library,” Comeaux said. “… They were without a library. It’s a large community in North Lake Charles, so very important for us to (have that) so the patrons have a space to access the computers, access the Wi-Fi, access educational materials, so they are excited. We’re thrilled to welcome them back to the beautifully restored Epps Memorial Library.”