We are back home!

We officially opened for business on April 14th and have been lovin' life since then. The building is absolutely beautiful with one great area after another. Where to begin? My favorite area is the readng "nook" on the adult mezzanine. There are 6 tablet arm chairs for patrons to use and I heard one man say as he sat down "I have found my home away from home. What a perfect place to read the local papers located in that area. The space is bordered by three big windows, and really gives one a sense of relaxation and peace. There are beautiful built-in bookcases in the border of mezzanine. The bridge from that area passes in front of my office which is very comfortable to work in. The bridge ends on the "gallery mezzanine" which overlooks the children's department. The beams in the ceiling were exposed and look fantastic. A real sense of history has been preserved. As it's name implies, this mezzanine will house the monthly art exhibits as well as two stacks of reference material. A late addition to this space was two tables which have already become very popular with students. The local history room off the mezzanine remained much the same, but with additonal storage space.

Moving down to the first floor, via the elevator if you wish, this area is also a winner. In the adult side the lighting is fantastic as it illuminates the stacks, computer carrels and reference desk. Some of the furniture is new is a rich cherry finish with black and cream tops and edges. We noticed that if you look up at the mezzanine, the wall looks just like a choir loft n the church. How perfect. The YA section is still under construction or at least furnishing but the kids have already found "thier space". On the north side of the main floor is the children's area which has all new shelving. Bright, but not jarring colors have been introduced into the room on the furniture and shelving tops. You just have to see the librarian's desk. It's great, I wish I was a kid. The original meeting room got a facelift and a new kitchenette. Standing in the middle of the main children's room one again sees the great beams up above. We were concerned that the mezaanine would make the room seem crowded but the lighting is great and the open center provides perfect volume of height. Speaking of lights, the "street lights" off the center of the mezzanine are a perfect touch. The circulation area in the center of the two "departments" is nice and roomy with a new circulation desk also in the cherry/black/cream finish. There is also a new "circulation office" area behind the desk for staff to work.

In the basement the community room has wonderful lighting, almost makes you forget you are in a basement. The staff area also got new lighting and some walls for to define staff areas. New staff desks make the room very functional. There is a separate LAN room that already hums with energy. There are two mechanical rooms in the basement, I call them the power plants as they house some big units to move air around the building. Before leaving this tour I must tell you about the main carpeting. It is wonderful. It is a brown/black multi-colored pattern that compliments just about everything in the building. Speaking of the carpet, it also matches the railings perfectly. The railing throughout the building is a cable system with steel rails. The color is a rich "grayish" brown that was matched to most of the light fixtures. We were skepticlal about this element but it defintely works. My description doesn't do it justice. have to see it.

Moving outside, the new parking lot and handicap ramp are working out just fine. It has been interesting to see that patrons still tend to park in the original parking lot down below instead of in the new lot up near the building. Time will change that I'm sure. The landscaping portion of the job is much further along than we anticipated. Thanks to a few generous donations we have a beautiful sod lawn and a great selection of foundation and ornamental plantings. The origianal, elaborate gardens will be re-created in the fall when the time is more appropriate. For now the beds have been heavily mulched to produce a more finished look.

The move back took a little more than three weeks and it was, as my young daughter says "way more" than the move out. The details were phenomenal and a lot of decisions could not be made until the material, furniture, whatever, was ready to be placed. For some reason I thought it was just a move back, but it really was the creation of a brand new library with a lot of the original "stuff". So, with a big dose of patience and good humor, the job was done and eventually we'll find where everything was put! (just kidding) I would say, however, that this part of the project has taken away any desire I might have to sell my house and move to another!

As with any construction job, this one has not been without its bumps and hiccups but all were dealt with in a timely and reasonable manner. We still have a short punch list to get through but nothing is serious or obvious to the patrons and that's what counts. The budget is in good shape and timewise we were two or three weeks past the scheduled completion date. I believe in the world of construction, it doesn't get better than this.


The community has overwhelmingly approved of the job and are so happy to be back home. The day after tomorrow is the official "Grand Re-Opening". Phew...