If you have ever been to the Ramsey County Law Library, then you know that a striking feature is the tall windows that look over the Mississippi on one side, and downtown St. Paul on the other. The tall windows accentuates the open, airy feeling to the law library, with two-story high ceilings in the main reading rooms. But have you even wondered how the some of the light fixtures and ceiling work is maintained? Recently, building mechanics Mike Nelson and Jon Dibb were called up to replace some burned out bulbs and a missing ceiling tile. Here is how they did it.
To replace the missing ceiling tile, Jon and Mike used a scissor lift to reach to ceiling. Some of the walkways were partially blocked. Luckily it was a slow morning in the law library, as they had to anchor the lift so it wouldn’t tip over.
Once the lift was secure, the guys could use it to quickly zip up to the ceiling to replace tiles and burnt out bulbs. The lift is pretty portable, and can be easily moved throughout the library.
The view of the law library from this tall perch is spectacular.
You can get a close-up view of the judicial portraits, too.
An up close and personal look at Judge John Willey Willis and Judge Richard Ambrose Walsh.
For tight areas where it isn’t possible to fit the lift, the guys change the bulbs using a ladder and a lightbulb changer. This task can get a little tiring considering the law library has ceilings that are 2 and a half stories tall! The next challenge will be to figure out how to change the bulbs in the chandeliers. Stay tuned!
