02:20 PM
The Attorney General’s Office opened a preliminary investigation of officials to be determined in the District of Medellín for alleged irregularities in the repair of damage to the infrastructure of the Piloto Public Library.
The decision was made by the Public Ministry after it became known last April 22, a video showing how in the middle From the downpour, water leaked into the library and put hundreds of books at risk.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the information it has about the case contemplates the possible risk of loss of approximately 365 specimens. All this caused by drilling in the facilities that would have been carried out to improve the drainage system.
Therefore, the entity seeks to determine the specific reason for the constant water leaks and if, in addition, the library’s budget allocated to maintenance and damage repair is invested correctly since 2023.
Read also: Pilot Library and Casa de la Memoria Museum were left in ruins: when will the life jacket arrive?
The situation of the Piloto, the only library created by the UNESCO in Latin America, It has been complex for several years, but it was once again evident by the video that went viral almost two weeks ago and which showed at least five shelves of books covered with plastic because the roof of the heritage building could not withstand the downpour.
“The books are covered with plastic because the administration has completely abandoned the roofs. We run the risk of losing the books. Many shelves are suffering from water. We have already had several days of rain, what will it be like in a month?” says a concerned citizen.
The issue is that, as reported by a source to EL COLOMBIANO at the end of 2023, apparently although some investments were made to repair the roofs, they had not been effective and when it rained, water continued to leak onto shelves and areas common areas on the first floor, as evidenced by the images released on April 22.
After the complaint about the latest flood, the city’s Secretary of Citizen Culture, Santiago Silva, admitted a day later to EL COLOMBIANO that the library “has been experiencing leak problems for several years. “Problems that have not been addressed in the appropriate manner or with the necessary resources.”
According to Silva, together with the Piloto team, the Secretariat proposed two work routes to address the situation: “The first is to carry out immediate adaptation interventions to mitigate the damage that can occur from leaks and that allow the library to continue providing the service in a calm, open and correct manner for everyone.”
The second thing, says the official, “is that in the district development plan there is a program aimed at the maintenance and adaptation of the cultural infrastructure, in which intervention in the BPP is considered to solve the problem of leaks.”
In any case, the atmosphere around the Pilot remains tense. The recent appointment of Esteban Giraldo González as director of the library did not serve to reassure the cultural sector of the city since it turns out that the former Secretary of Culture, Manuel Córdoba, had asked the library sector to present a shortlist to elect a director, but finally , several sources said, Mayor FEderico Gutierrez He passed on that shortlist and chose Giraldo Gónzález.
