The Stairs Are Gone And Walls Just Keep Going Up

Yesterday morning the very last bit of existing stairway was removed. The "old" stairs are now history and the space available for the new stairs is clearly evident. Who knew that the stair opening was really so spacious? We all had the feeling and could measure dimensions as well as the next person but just seeing the space so clearly gives us an idea of how much the up and down access will be improved.

During the next week the renovation project pretty much will consist of the installation of the steel for the new staircase and the continuing installation and taping of drywall for the group study rooms and new computer lab space. 5 group study rooms and a 16-computer lab are being created as part of this renovation. The lab will be used for instruction and the computers in that space will be available to patrons when there are no classes in session.

Apologies to all that the various construction sounds and possibly smells will continue for a little while longer. We really wanted to keep the library open and so the trade-off is that there's no way to avoid the hammering, banging and general sound of power tools being used on the project.

The contractor told us today the project is still on track to finish up at the end of October or shortly thereafter so before too long the work will be done and the new areas available for use.