The abrupt decision to place two top Santa Barbara Public Library officials on paid administrative leave has shaken up City Hall and cast light on the complicated and controversial Library Plaza project.

Jessica Cadiente, library director, and Molly Wetta, library services manager, were placed on leave on March 11. City officials won’t comment on the reasons, saying it is a personnel matter.

However, multiple sources told Noozhawk that the strain of the delayed Michael Towbes Library Plaza project has heightened stress and tension for people who work in the library, and Cadiente and Wetta were outspoken about the noise, exposure to dust and overall workplace environment.

Those concerns about the delays reportedly sparked the ire of Public Works officials and former City Administrator Rebecca Bjork.

Employees have worked with noise, construction and mishaps during the now two-year project.

It is unclear what specifically led to the two officials being placed on leave. They are not allowed to talk about the situation, and others aren’t speaking about it publicly.

Cadiente, sources said, was outspoken in her concerns about the way the library was handled by administration. She led the effort to leave the Black Gold Library Cooperative system and transition the library to a new, independent catalog system in 2023.

The sources said Wetta was regarded highly in the building.

The city hired a firm, Meyers Nave, to conduct an independent investigation.

“I don’t have an estimate of when it will be completed,” Assistant City Administrator Rene Eyerle said. “I’m unable to comment any further to protect the integrity of the investigation.”

While officials have clammed up about the situation, what is clear is that the length of the Library Plaza project, the increased costs, and loud, ongoing construction have rattled City Hall and the Public Works Department.

Eyerle said any major construction project “comes with disruptions and inconveniences.”

“When the project schedule is repeatedly extended and staff’s expectations of a finish line are dashed, it is disappointing and frustrating,” she said. “The poor schedule performance of the Central Library contract undoubtedly affected the working environment and morale of the Central Library staff.”

The city broke ground on the plaza project in May 2022. At the time, the cost was about $9.3 million. It was supposed to take 18 months.

It is still not completed, and the price has gone up about $1.3 million. Officials said the goal is to finish everything by July 1.

Among the major challenges has been replacing an elevator in the middle of the building. Loud drilling sounds greet library patrons on the main floor. During the day, the place is sparsely attended.

Heavy rain in January led to flooding of the lower office level. In addition, in 2023, the contractor demolished concrete “before adequate dust control measures were put in place,” Eyerle said.

“In executing this work, the contractor removed an area of concrete that had a small section of surface mastic (adhesive sealant), which included asbestos fibers,” she said. “Upon demolition, the asbestos fibers mixed into the concrete dust that was airborne and visible in the library spaces, outside the construction work area.”

The city, Eyerle said, immediately hired an industrial hygienist firm to test the air quality within the library and conduct swipe samples of the sedentary dust. All samples returned negative for risk to human health.

However, sources said the incident sent some employees to urgent care facilities, and some of them filed paperwork to document the event. Some workers said their concerns were “minimized” by city leadership.

Cadiente, sources said, had a prickly relationship at times with city management. She was an advocate for increased library programs and funding, and pushed for community events and advocated for a modern library that engaged the community, rather than a traditional focus on the library space.

Public Works Director Cliff Maurer referred Noozhawk’s questions to city architect Craig Shallanberger, who was hired in October 2023 to help oversee city projects.

Shallanberger told Noozhawk that “nobody knows anything about the circumstances of the indefinite leave of Jessica and Molly.”

He did say that “the initial schedule for the project was probably too aggressive.”

Rather than 18 months, he said, the expectation should have been about two years. Several factors have contributed to the delays.

“There is a big elevator in the core of the building,” he said. “No one knew there was a giant bed of rock. Instead of digging out dirt it was a rock by hand.”

Crews can’t get equipment into the library, so hand tools were needed.

He said the city experienced two abnormal wet weather years, and the site has drainage problems.

He also said that the city’s project labor agreement, which requires the city to use unionized labor on construction projects valued at $5 million or more, potentially scared off many bidders, which left only two companies to bid on the plaza project.

In March, voters approved a measure that allows the city to choose the most responsible bidder, instead of the lowest bidder, in response to the problems with the library project.

“We only had two bids on this project,” Shallanberger said.

He said restoring the library is a difficult task. The building was built in the 1920s and the Faulkner Gallery was built in the 1940s, followed by an addition to the main library in the 1980s.

Despite the difficulties and delays to the project, Shallanberger said, nothing ever rose to the level of needing a new contractor. Doing so, he said, could set the project back another year.

“That is by far the last resort,” Shallanberger said. “We never reached a critical potential default with this contract.”

He also said another delay was caused by a city decision to revise the scope of the work at the entry at Anapamu Street.

A portion of the project, totaling about $4 million, is funded by Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation donors.

The elevator, the basement and the plaza are separate projects rolled into one contract.

The library basement and the plaza are nearing completion, but “the elevator has been a bear,” Shallanberger said. “Our goal is to be done with this project by July 1.”

As for Cadiente and Wetta, Shallanberger said they did not have formal roles with the plaza project, but they were involved in regular meetings because the library was considered “the client” and “owner” of the project.

Noozhawk reached out to the contractor, Nationwide General Construction, but it did not respond.

City Manager Sarah Knecht said Brandon Beaudette will serve as acting library director beginning Monday.

“He will work hand in hand with the city architect, Craig Shallanberger, and city engineer, Brian D’Amour, to ensure that the three construction projects currently underway at the library are completed to specification, and as soon as possible,” Knecht said.