Construction on the new home of Chicago's LGBT library is taking far longer than expected, according to the organization's president, Brad Tucker.
Gerber/Hart Library and Archives has been closed for months, after the library moved from its Edgewater home to a vacant building in Rogers Park.
Tucker previously told Windy City Times that he hoped the new space would open at the start of October, but that after several delays, he cannot give a specific date for the reopening.
"It's molasses slow," he said. "They're doing the best they can."
Gerber/ Hart's new space at 6500 N. Clark still needs heating and air-conditioning installed, said Tucker. And electrical wiring to the building remains unfinished.
Tucker called the process "frustrating and difficult."
The library is not paying rent on the new space during construction, but is paying to keep its archives in storage in an Edgewater facility. A better timeline for the library's reopening will be available after a meeting with the library's landlord and construction team in the coming week, said Tucker.
Gerber/Hart was the subject of a Windy City Times investigation earlier this year, after the library announced it was moving amid allegations that it had become shut off from Chicago's LGBT community and had failed to follow its bylaws. Tucker replaced longtime President Karen Sendziak in the midst of controversy. Sendziak remains on the board.
Tucker said the organization is continuing efforts to develop the board but said it is unlikely to add new members until the library is functional again.
"We just want to make sure we're doing it right this time," said Tucker.
Gerber/Hart has also provided access to information about the library to "Friends of Gerber/Hart Library and Archives," a group of former volunteers and members that has called for more transparent leadership in the organization. Tucker said the library provided the group with "quite a bit of information that they asked for."
Gail Morse, the group's attorney, said that the library did not give the group everything it had asked for, nor did it provide copies of the materials as requested. Morse said the group asked for books and records that the library was required by law to make available but declined to say what specific materials had been requested.
Tucker said that library leadership has yet to meet with Friends of Gerber/Hart because the group failed to respond to a request for a meeting. Morse said the library offered one date, which the group could not make. She said they asked for a meeting on another day but never heard back.