Correction: This article has been changed to correct the reason why stabilization jacks are used in the building. The load-bearing wall was removed during a renovation of the library.
GREEN RIVER – “That building is ready to come down on people’s heads,” Commissioner Island Richards said about the old Green River Circuit Court and Carnegie Library building.
Richards and Commissioner Keaton West spoke about the vacant Carnegie Library building in Green River Thursday evening, saying the only real option for the building is to tear it down. The full group of five county commissioners spoke to residents at Young at Heart Senior Center through an event hosted by the Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce, where attendees had the opportunity to ask the group questions.
“That building is structurally not sound,” Richards said. “The only reasonable option is to tear it down.”
According to West, the commissioners have toured the building and said a load-bearing wall was removed during a remodel years ago, necessitating the use of stabilization jacks to ensure the roof does not collapse. He said the decision to cut the heat and cooling to the building after it was vacated is what killed it, expediting the impact of the structural problems that were already present. He said the county could spend millions to reinforce the building, but said demolition was the realistic choice. Both West and Richards admit there are residents with sentimental attachments to the building but said while there could be political consequences with the decision, the building is too damaged to save.
“We’re here to do what’s best for the community,” West said.
Richards said the space the old library is on could be used for additional courthouse parking or help expand the district courtroom building further to add more courtrooms. Discussions to add a third district court judge in Sweetwater County date back several years because of the caseload found within the county. Additionally, Richards said the Sweetwater County Courthouse itself is showing signs of its age and the resulting issues with the building would need to be addressed through either future renovation and expansion projects, or by building a completely new courthouse should the situation call for it.
The former library is one of 16 “Cowboy Carnegies” built in Wyoming and was completed in 1906. The building served as a library for decades until the current Sweetwater County Library was built. The building was renovated to house Green River’s Circuit Court until issues with the building caused the county commissioners to expand the Sweetwater County Courthouse and move the circuit court into the new space. The court was moved a second time in 2018 when the Sweetwater County Justice Center was completed.
