Public Library, parts of Civic Center closed by meth contamination

Methamphetamine contamination on Wednesday forced the closure of the Englewood Public Library, the north Civic Center lobby and the second-floor restrooms of the city’s Civic Center.

The Englewood shutdown comes after similar meth-related closures in Boulder at an RTD station and at the Boulder Public Library.

On Jan. 6, Englewood proactively tested the restrooms and other surfaces in the Englewood Public Library and restrooms on the second floor of the Englewood Civic Center.

Based on test results received Wednesday, “and out of an abundance of caution,” Englewood made the temporary closures “until a remediation plan is formulated and executed,” the city said in a news release. “Test results in the restrooms exceeded state thresholds for methamphetamine contamination.”

“The health and safety of our staff, residents and patrons is of the utmost importance to all of us at the City of Englewood,” said Shawn Lewis, city manager, in the release. “With this in mind, we decided to proactively conduct testing in our library and other Civic Center locations to ensure safety for all. The test results we received today are troubling, and we immediately began working to remediate affected spaces with the goal of reopening the library as soon as possible.”

RTD on Tuesday shut down bathrooms and a hallway at the downtown Boulder RTD station after testing found levels of meth exceeding Centers for Disease Control and Prevention limits, according to an RTD news release.

The Boulder Public Library closed on Dec. 20 because of methamphetamine contamination. The library began gradually reopening last week after remediation efforts. A contractor determined the highest levels of contamination at the library were in public restrooms.