Countless remodeling projects were under way. Some were sanding a deck. Others, weeding a garden, laying a sewer pipe, jack hammering a sidewalk, refinishing a floor. And, come to think of it, even installing the kitchen sink.

Each needed one of his tools to get the job done.

For each task, a deeper story of renewal was revealed: a grandmother lovingly refinishing an old desk with her grandson, an environmentalist removing dangerous lead particles from her surroundings, a father volunteering to build a playground for his son's preschool.

"Sometimes," Yurgelevic confesses, "I feel like a bartender."

That's understandable. As the center's chief tool-lending specialist, Yurgelevic probably has counseled thousands of Bay Area residents on their home-improvement woes. He's heard it all -- bizarre requests for equipment, successes such as Oakland's community-built Frog Park, home projects gone awry.

The center sits tucked away at the library's Temescal branch on Telegraph Avenue. Upstairs, inside the historic red-bricked Carnegie-era building is a grandiose room, with a cathedral ceiling, hardwood floors and perpetual hush.

In the basement, with the entrance round back, sits the inconspicuous tool center. There, the workshop buzzes like a small-town saloon, a hub where do-it-yourselfers chatter while library technicians two-step around each other.

The service, in its fourth year, lets residents of Oakland, Piedmont or Emeryville check out tools for up to three days, with two renewals allowed and a $5 daily overdue fine.

The concept was inspired by a similar long-running service in Berkeley, one of the first in the country. A survey of Oakland residents in the mid-1990s found the majority wanted a tool library of their own.

Although Yurgelevic radiates pride of ownership, he actually found his way there simply by answering an ad in the paper. The soft-spoken former accountant has no professional construction experience, just 26 years of home ownership. Before opening, he apprenticed at Berkeley's tool library, where he learned the "nuts and bolts of the job" -- no pun intended.

As a result, Yurgelevic handles each request -- even the newcomer's -- with nonjudgemental aplomb, often tossing in some free, helpful advice.

"I know what it's like to feel dumb," he explains.

Since opening with an inventory of 325 tools, the center has expanded to 1,800 tools, circulating more than 2,000 each month. The concept has spread around the Bay Area: San Francisco and Hayward also offer similar services.

"All the people I talked to said, 'Forget it,'" he recalls. "We've proved them wrong. It says something about Oakland. Despite what people see, the majority are decent people who appreciate a good service."

Although some patrons are professional contractors, most are laymen who have spent all their money buying expensive fixer-uppers -- and now have nothing left for tools.

For Oakland resident Sandy Greenberg, the tool library proved to be a guardian angel. After a contractor abandoned her Rockridge fixer-upper halfway to completion, she and friend Lonnie Voth borrowed tools to get the job done.

"This is the best-kept secret in the universe," she says. "This could not have been done without it."

But others have known about it for years.

"It's a great asset to the community," says architect Carroll Moore, building a play structure at his son's preschool.

For Emily Fitch, the tool library grants her a sense of self-sufficiency. "For a single woman like me, you don't have to depend on a man," she explains, handing in a weed eater she borrows monthly to maintain her lawn.

Not everyone is involved in home repair. A contingent of artists also relies on the tools to create their craft. "It's a blessing," Oakland sculptor Githinji Wa Mbire says. "It's a focal point in the community."

Inside, Yurgelevic leads his visitor through what generously could be called the 10-second tour. Up front is a tiny closet of garden tools, picks, rakes, head shears, hand tillers and hoes, plus the incongruous silver snow shovel -- used round these parts mainly for picking up bark, Yurgelevic notes.

Behind the checkout counter stands a red tool cabinet with drawers full of cold chisels, pliers, drill bits, pry bars and Torx screwdrivers. An array of drills and hammers hang on the wall, along with a shelf of home improvement books and videos.

In a back room, larger tools are stored, such as belt sanders and a variety of saws.

Although the library operates on a lean budget of about $100,000, which covers salaries and replacement of unreturned items, Yurgelevic has savvily lined up outside funding for equipment.

He proudly displays new weed abatement tools provided by a grant from the Oakland Fire Department, 10 new boxes of tools for earthquake retrofitting from the Red Cross, and two new vacuums that can remove lead dust particles, provided by the Alameda County Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.

Still, his wish list is lengthy, citing needs such as an electric pressure washer, electric rot tiller and a fence stretcher.

But most find what is offered comes in handy.

"This is brilliant," environmental activist Ritu Primlani says approvingly. "What an idea, sharing, instead of having every homeowner own a tool they only use once in a lifetime."

The tool library is at 5205 Telegraph Avenue and is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Call (510) 597-5089.

You can e-mail Melissa Schorr at## mschorr@angnewspapers.com or call her at (925) 416-4814. /p>

The Oakland Tribune: Bay Area Living
Kari Hulac, Features Editor
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