The Greening of RPL...

Where can you go to pick up the latest bestseller, that little art film your neighbor told you about and the newest release from Panic at the Disco? The library, of course! But our new building will not only be a place to get all this and more, but it will be a space that is helping to save our world! The new Richland Public Library is designed to meet the LEED Silver requirements. LEED is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ which encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria. (and yes, I stole that right from the website!)

We are also committed to recycling as much as we can from the old building. The trees that were removed from the site were transferred to the landfill. The trunks and large limbs are being milled for as-yet-undetermined-uses. The small limbs will be made available for Richland residents to take as fire wood and the very small pieces will be chipped for compost. (And don’t worry – there is a plan in place to re-populate the site with new trees. Big trees, not saplings!)

Much of the work of construction involves sharing of resources and re-use of materials. For example, one firm will not own all of the equipment that is needed but will rent it from a rental firm or from another construction firm. The equipment is not only very large, but specialized and it makes more sense to have it available only when it is needed.

During the construction of the elevator towers, the framing pieces are ones that have been used to build other elevators in the past and will be used again for future elevators at other sites.

Over 6000 bricks from the old building were removed and cleaned of old mortar, by hand, to be reused on the new construction so that the exterior look will be consistent.

So, just remember, not only is Richland Public an ultra cool space to hang out in, but we’re saving the environment one brick at a time!

Pop! Six! Squish! Uh Uh! Cicero! Lipschitz!

Cell Block Tango anyone?

Actually, this is part of the new framing in the older part of the library. It's just a coincidence that it looks like a jail cell. Really.

Brings back memories of my Tonka Truck days!

Things are moving along now...

This week's update is being done from the road - we are at a joint Washington/Oregon Library Association Conference in Vancouver. We are learning lots of interesting things to bring back with us. Fletcher, Farr, Ayotte (the RPL architects) are one of the conference sponsors, so we had a chance to chat with Troy, one of the architects working on the new library today. He tells us things are progressing nicely and we took the opportunity to point out some cool stuff we'd like to see in the new library! So, we'll get back to the conference and leave you with a breakdown of what's happening on the building.

Lisa & Theresa

Now, here's what the boss told us to say!

We have concluded the demolition phase of the expansion/renovation and are moving into real construction. The deep plumbing is complete (the branch lines will be added later) and the duct work in the “old” part of the building has been replaced. Inside, the framing of interior walls in that portion of the building has begun. The piles for the upright support structures are complete as well. The most exciting part right now is to watch the elevator tower forms go higher and higher. The first lift for the towers will be poured the week of April 21. Soon, too, the scaffolding that will surround the new construction will be growing to 32 feet.
The project is going well and we are on time and on budget. Our squirrels have temporarily abandoned the site as well as our mallards but we have every confidence that they will return when some of the noise and dust abates.

Please drive by the site. We are about to start the time when there will be visible change every day. We continue to receive great support from the other city departments that approve and inspect and maintain city properties. We also feel fortunate to be working with Chervenell Construction. They are real partners in our mission to build an excellent Library and to do it in a financially responsible manner.

We want to hear from you!

The contractors continue to work on both elevators this week and have started working on the stairs. Rebar cages are being built and concrete is being poured. More plumbing is also being installed.

Now, we want to hear from you - every day people tell us they are looking at the blog. We would like to hear your comments. Tell us what you think about the construction, if you like the blog or even a favorite memory you have of the library.

If you are one of the people working at the library site, we would LOVE to hear from you - give us the bird's eye view of how you see the work progressing.

Moving on up...

"Digging the new elevator shaft"

... or we will be in the new building! The existing elevator is being brought up to current standards and the awesome construction people have begun excavation on the new elevator. With the design of the new building, the old elevator will be mostly for staff use to get book carts up to the second floor, deliver supplies up to the office, and of course, for staff to use so we can raid the upstairs candy jar!

The new elevator will be for patrons to use so they can get to the second floor. Currently the second floor is slated to hold the browsing area, magazine collection, fiction collection, and a few other collections, but that could all change depending on what fits best where. Just know that the staff is hard at work making sure that this new library will be the best library we can create! Thanks to all our wonderful patrons for their patience and enthusiasm in this endeavor -- we have the best patrons ever!


The current elevator shaft under construction

Another view of the old elevator

Excavating the new elevator. The brick relief wall is in the background, carefully under protection until the rest of the building is built up around it.