BATON ROUGE - Work has finally resumed at the downtown library nearly a year after the structural failure that led to a legal battle which completely halted its construction.

Multiple parties, including the city, contractors and designers, have spent months pointing fingers over who should shoulder the cost for the repairs. In February, the East Baton Rouge Metro Council approved a proposal from the mayor to finance the repairs while the legal fight is settled.

The cost to complete the library is said to be $2,746,243, about $1 million more than what the repairs were initially expected to cost. The mayor said in February the expense was necessary to keep the structure from going to waste.

“...This type of litigation could take between two and five years to complete. During this period of time, the library would remain vacant and unfinished. Not only would the building become an eyesore in the center of Downtown Baton Rouge, but it could become compromised to the point that significant additional repair work would be required,” the mayor said at the time. “...Expediting the completion of the building protects the substantial investment made by taxpayers.”

The library is expected to open in early 2020.