PORT TOWNSEND — The first phase of the $9 million Port Townsend Library renovation project begins in September and will be commemorated during a Saturday event.
The scheduling represents a new strategy, said library Director Theresa Percy.
“We are adopting a ‘pay as you go’ strategy,” Percy said.
“We are taking it one step at a time. With all the political and economic upheaval, we need to take a more realistic path.”
So instead of discussing the four-part renovation as a whole, each segment will be executed and funded separately, she said.
Percy said all of the stated goals will be accomplished and on time for the library’s 2013 centennial, but in more digestible bites.
The first phase is the renovation of the Charles Pink House, a historical site adjacent to the main library at 1220 Lawrence St. that will be used as a public meeting space.
Dedication on Saturday
A dedication ceremony for this phase of the project is planned from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
The ceremony will celebrate the renovation of the structure into the library’s meeting house with family events, music and refreshments.
The renovation is scheduled to begin in September and be completed by the end of 2011.
Saturday’s celebration will begin with a “Let’s Build” storytime followed by art projects for all ages, including face painting, and the creation of a library banner to be displayed during the renovation.
The $140,000 renovation, funded by Friends of the Library, will provide expanded meeting and program space to support a wide range of library programs.
Currently, the rooms now limit participation to about 10 people. After renovation, they will accommodate 30 or more.
Hands-on programs
Percy said the separation from the main library building makes it ideal for active hands-on programs such as teen writing groups and advisory board meetings, adult book club meetings and workforce development workshops that would interfere with other library patrons if held in the main library.
“The Pink House will be more for daytime activities while the upstairs of the Carnegie Library will host nighttime events after its renovation,” she said.
The next step is a seismic upgrade of the Carnegie building that is being subsidized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Following this, there will occur a temporary reorganization of the library wing, which will relocate some of the collections and make the library more efficient, Percy said.
Final phase
The final step, estimated at $5 million, will be the full renovation of the Carnegie portion of the library and the construction of a second floor on the existing library wing.
Percy said she sympathizes with the Jefferson County Library, whose $9 million bond issue was defeated by voters earlier this month.
She said the Port Townsend Library has many of the same goals and problems as its neighbor to the south but chose a different path to accomplish those goals.
“They still have the same issues as we do and, as before, their library is bursting at the seams, and there is an increased need for services,” she said.
“We have always done it differently, looking and funding the project from different sources and building a variety of partnerships rather than getting it all from one place.”
Percy acknowledges it would have been easier to get all the funding for the renovations from one source, like a bond issue, but thought the piecemeal process would stand a greater chance of success.
And while the project itself hasn’t changed, the library is now discussing the steps as separate.
Either way, public support is necessary.
“We want to thank all the people who have helped us with donations and continue to help us,” Percy said.
“That’s what Saturday is all about: a way to thank the public.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
