ECTOR COUNTY, Texas — Imagine walking into a foul-smelling workplace everyday.
That's what librarians in Ector County say they have to do.
"Some people say, ok, sewage, and some people say rotten egg," J'Nevelyn White, library head of reference said. "They were telling me stories after about the person who had the job before me, or one of them before me, and they had raw sewage on their desk and I said oh, check please."
Building Maintenance Director Charles Pierce also talked about the scent.
"During the summers this building smells like a sewage plant," Pierce said.
Workers say the library's sewage system needs repairs, desperately.
They don't stop there, workers say repairs also need to be made to the windows, bathroom walls and many other spots.
They say they've gotten used to the smell and run-down building over the years, but now Pierce says they're at a breaking point.
"We're to a point now where we have to do something," Pierce said. "It's either do something or close the library. It's just slowly deteriorated over the years, the sewer system especially. I mean it goes up a middle chase through this building behind all the toilets, and as cast iron pipe gets older, it starts to age and the pipes have cracked in the vent system and there's no way to get to it unless you tear walls out behind the toilets."
Marble walls might I add, making this a costly price tag.
The county is looking at repairs totaling $1.5 million.
Commissioners decided to table this agenda item Tuesday and are working on putting together a committee of 5-6 people to go out and poll the public to find out whether or not these repairs are worth the time and money.
Commissioner Mike Gardner says they are hoping to form this committee within the next few weeks.
He also recommends that Ector County residents visit the library and share their thoughts with the commissioner of their district.