Snow, snow, snow,snow...

Work continues to progress on the building. In the old part of the building they have erected temporary tenting, and have begun to get some heat over there so the drywall taping can begin. The elevator #1 is finished, and elevator #2 is almost there. We will have two elevators in this building. The main one will be out on the floor for our patrons to get to the second story, and the other one is back in the staff area for book carts and supplies to be moved from one floor to another. This will ensure that patrons don't get their feet run over by a shelver moving books up to the second floor. Not that I've ever done that in a different library in oh say Lafayette LA. Nope, not me!

In the new part of the building, the metal roofing is underway. Framing is about 90% complete and the exterior sheathing is being completed.



Outside, the curb and gutter work is scheduled to be completed this week. Topsoil is also being added to the planter areas. The goal was to get paving started tomorrow (Friday), however, due to the snow on the ground, we will just have to wait and see on that one.

The big news (to us) is that the windows on the Swift side of the building are beginning to be installed. They are magnificent, and we can't wait to see what the interior will look like in the spring, with those big beautiful windows flooding the place with light.



Over here in the temp spot, we will be open for most of the holidays. We will close at 5:00 pm on December 23rd, and be closed all day on the 24th and 25th. The following week, we will close at 5:00 pm on December 31st, and be closed all day on January 1st.

Wishing all our patrons a safe holiday time.

Theresa

Oh the Weather outside is frightful...

Brrrrrr! It's 37 degrees right now, and falling fast, but we've got some major movement on the building this week!

The windows are (slowly) arriving. The five windows in the back of the building are in, as well as a window on the Goethals side of the building. The rest of them are on their way, and installation will continue as the pieces get here.

The remaining openings will be covered in plastic, and Chervenell will begin to heat the inside of the building. That means that they are able to start taping drywall pretty soon.

The plumbing rough-in is nearly completed, and the framing is almost finished as well.

If you've driven down Goethals, you'll notice that the curbing of the parking lot is almost finished. The plan is to do the first pour by the end of this week for the parking lot, and have it completely finished before the end of the year.

In the building itself, the first of the two elevators (called, imaginatively enough, elevator #1) is finished.

Over here in the temp building, there is a children's program this afternoon, and on December 19th beginning at noon, we will be having our annual holiday movie marathon. Because the space is limited here, we are partnering with the Community Center to show the movies. For more information, please call the Library at 509-942-7454.

Theresa

Here comes the sun...

After several days of drippy weather, we finally have a nice day today! So, hopefully, the crew will be able to make great strides in getting the parking lot paved. They are planning to lay down the asphalt in two layers. The first one will go down directly over the dirt, and they will let it cure fully before they pour the second layer. Not everyone will pour their asphalt in two layers, but our crew has determined that doing it this way will provide for a longer lasting parking lot and a much smoother one as well.

Curbing is almost completed on site, and you will also see that the new parking lot lights are in place. It's amazing to me how many people it takes to build a building, and the many different skill sets they all have. For the parking lot alone, it will take four different crews. One to do the curbing, one to pour the asphalt, one to get the lights functional, and one to do the final striping of the lot.

Sometime soon, you should see a tent go up in front of the building. They will be working on another slab pour, and will use the tent to keep the area warmer. Windows should also go in sometime soon. They are putting the frames in place, and we hope to have glass in them shortly.

Our beautiful, intelligent, and oh so stylish library manager (can you tell it's evaluation time?) has been working hard on finalizing the bid packet for the furnishings. Shelving is (I believe) done, and we hope that soon all our various packets will be finished and off to wherever packets go to be approved.

People keep asking us when we will be moving back. We still don't have a firm date on that, but are hoping to move sometime in summer 2009. In the meantime, please join us at the temporary location. We are still hard at work bringing you new books, DVDs, music Cd's, and as many programs as we can in our little shop.

Theresa