For nearly a decade, a section of the Milton library has been slowly sinking into the Broadkill River. Action taken at the May 22 Sussex County Council meeting is designed to fix a failed bulkhead and secure the building on Union Street.

On the recommendation of county engineer Hans Medlarz, council voted 5-0 to accept a $330,000 bid from JJID Inc. of New Castle for the project, which includes a double-width steel bulkhead.

He said a section of the first-floor wall is sinking and the walls are tilting. “It’s serious, but not so much so that we need to vacate that part of the building,” he said.

Councilman Rob Arlett, R-Frankford, asked Medlarz if there was a guarantee the new bulkhead would solve the problem. “We have a high level of confidence,” he answered. “It’s in the high 90s that this will stop the sinking in the first-floor area.”

The oldest section of the building – known as the Conwell Building – dates back to 1912-13. Sussex County purchased the property in 1978 and opened the library in 1980. Over the years, several additions have expanded the space of the library.

Medlarz said county officials would have to work with Milton and Delaware Department of Transportation officials to put a two-day detour in place on part of Union Street when the contractor puts its crane in place.

He also said once work gets underway, the contractor may run into unforeseen issues – such as items buried in the river bottom – that could increase the cost of the project.

Sussex County operates libraries in Milton, Greenwood and South Coastal in the Bethany Beach area, as well as a traveling bookmobile.

Sussex libraries by the numbers

FY 2019 budget – $2.5 million

FY 2018 budget – $2.4 million

281,000 – Number of times county libraries were visited

343,000 – Materials checked out at county libraries

3 – Number of county-operated libraries

11 – Number of independent libraries

$2.3 million – Independent library grants