The Garage Work Is Complete And Renovation Continues

The work on the upper level of the garage has been completed and the garage is open and now resealed and re-striped. Everyone is noticing how fresh and clean the floor appears and all of the repairs were successfully conducted underneath that freshly sealed floor. It was definitely a worthwhile project though not fun in the midst of it; for sure worth the wait. We were able to add one additional handicapped parking spot and rearrange some of the parking spaces for better access and use. You might also notice the sign indicating a drive-up materials drop that is coming soon. Last year when we surveyed patrons about library spaces and services we learned that there was much interest in a drive up drop. While we were not able to come up with a good solution for a 24/7 drive-up drop connected to the building, a staff member finally saw a potential solution at the foot of the ramp entry to the garage. So just as soon as book drops arrive, we'll install them on the left side at the foot of the entry ramp. The drive-up drops will be accessible all hours the Main Library is open. Staff and Board members are looking forward to bringing this new service to the public. Of course the covered walk-up drop at the front of the building will remain available 24/7.

And of course the renovation continues, too. We were happy to see carpet installed beginning this past Friday. The carpet will be installed in public spaces somewhat later but this preview gave us a chance to see that the new carpet looks great! The next big change will be the construction of a partition around the central stairway on both the first and second floors next week. This partition will be very obvious - the stairway footprint is big - and it is necessary for safety reasons and for the potential to muffle at least some of the sounds. The upshot is that once the partition is in place, patron access to the second floor will only be via the elevator for a period of 5 weeks or so. There will also only be one place for getting through from the elevator to the computers and books on the second floor.

We do apologize for any inconvenience or upheaval this renovation poses to patrons. We are working to complete this project on schedule with wrap-up near the middle of November and already we can see how the resulting space will be so worth it. Any person who needs assistance for any reason due to this renovation process or actually for any reason at all is encouraged to ask staff for help. One thing that is true about library employees is the wish to help any and all who visit the library so please "just ask".

I surely have found that being in the middle of the projects impacts the time available to sit down and share via blog so I'm expecting more frequent updates again following this post. Pardon the lag since the last post, we've been busy working with the architect and construction company as walls are framed out, windows installed, carpet laid, walls painted ... well you get the idea!