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A Riverside summer
Vol. 41, No. 28
Page 8
July 15, 2026
How are Brookfield’s residents reacting to library construction? Work to correct the building’s leaking outer envelope started in May By LILLIAN ALI Reporting Intern
Repairs are underway at the Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library to correct an issue present since the building’s opening: a “black substance” has been dripping from the building’s exterior since shortly after it was completed five years ago. “When I came over here, and I saw [the construction], I thought ‘what the heck is going on now,’” Brookfield resident Eileen Dow-Sarocco said. Since July 2021, when construction on the new library finished, the substance has been dripping from the library’s outside walls. The leak was a combination of several building materials, which chemically combined to form the oozing substance. In an FAQ on the library’s website, the library said it was replacing the building’s envelope “ahead of possible water incursions and structural damage.” Repairs to fix the issue started on May 11 and are expected to last through September. “In my professional opinion, I think See LIBRARY on page 9
Brookfield may phase out its beautification commission ‘We won’t have a quorum later this fall,’ Trustee Katie Kaluzny says By STELLA BROWN Staff Reporter
LILLIAN ALI
Repairs at the Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library aim to correct an issue producing a black substance dripping from the building’s exterior. SIGN UP FOR
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2026 may be the last year Brookfield has an active beautification commission before the group sunsets. A proposal to phase out the commission was one of the main discussion points of the group’s most recent meeting on Tuesday, July 7. The next day, Village Trustee Katie Kaluzny, who is the village board’s liaison to the group, said many of the commission’s duties have “evolved over time” until the commissioners found themselves without much to do. “The things that they had worked on over time have evolved, too,” she told the Landmark while at the July 8 French market. For example, “This used to be Progress Park and a garden they got the Governor Hometown Award for See BEAUTIFICATION on page 6