Fredonia Library updated after April electrical fire
On April 15, 2026, library director Sheena Cram had just finished the usual opening routine for Fredonia Public Library when she heard electric buzzing followed by a loud pop. A disparity between the old light fixtures and the new style LED lights caused an electrical fire. Sheena quickly got local firefighters on their way and was able to use a fire extinguisher to put it out. Immediate response from both Fredonia police and fire was greatly appreciated.
Left to right, courtesy of Fredonia Town Library:
An April 15 electrical fire caused damages to the Fredonia Town Library. Thanks to a generous donation, the library was not only able to repair the damage, but make updates to the library as a whole.
It was a labor of love, and the shelves are fully stocked with books ready to be enjoyed by the community once more.
Unfortunately, the town’s insurance was not as fast to respond, and it took weeks before town maintenance and library staff were able to start clean up and repairs. Hours and hours of physical labor were put in by town employees and wonderful library patrons to move all the books, furniture and bookshelves, as well as clean those items from the pervasive extinguisher dust.
New carpet was laid by Sunset Flooring and Clark Electric outfitted the building with new lights, but the Fredonia Public Works lead, Clayton Johnson, and his team did all the painting and tile on both sides of the library and the lobby, saving hundreds of dollars. A generous local donation allowed the library to not just repair the damage in the main library room but do a cosmetic refresh on the whole first floor of the building.
Luckily, almost all the books were able to be saved due to the hard and careful work of library staff members Lisa Findlay, Mary Ballard and Maria Cherwin, as well as a few volunteers. This year’s summer reading program was a challenge to keep going amidst all the construction but turned out very successful with much support and participation from the community.
Fredonia took the opportunity to rearrange bookshelves and layout to create more open space and better sightlines, making the library visit experience more enjoyable for all.
“We are excited about our bigger space for the teens and better layout for children’s activities,” remarked director, Sheena Cram.
The library invites you to come enjoy the newly designed space and freshly curated col-lections. Although six months in the making, it was an ending worth the wait.
