SEQUIM — The look from street level doesn’t do justice to the amount of work already done on the multimillion-dollar Sequim Library expansion project.
But Noah Glaude, executive director for the North Olympic Library System, said construction has the library “out of the ground,” with most of the walls up and key foundational work — irrigation, water and sewer lines, and electrical transformer, fire hydrant and more — in place.
After a delay in delivery, the project’s steel is anticipated this week, said Hoch Construction owner Kyle Priest as his crew has pivoted to work on other design elements while awaiting the materials. Everything else has been on schedule and with minimal change orders, he said.
“The job has gone amazing,” Priest said. “It’s a great team and we still look to use as many local subcontractors as possible for the project.”
The library is on track to open next spring, said Glaude, who walked the grounds of the construction site at 630 N. Sequim Ave.
“This building will last for decades to come,” he said.
Originally built in 1983 for a population of about 13,300, the Sequim Library had become too small to adequately serve the more than 32,000 current residents in Sequim, Agnew and Carlsborg, NOLS representatives said.
Assessment studies in 2001 and 2014 confirmed that a larger library was needed; in 2018, a bond measure to fund the new library received 58.6 percent of the vote, just shy of the 60 percent supermajority needed for approval.
NOLS then secured alternative funding through grants, timber revenue from state-managed state trust lands and community donations to move forward without a new bond or levy.
“We couldn’t wait any longer for a new library, so we found creative and cost-effective ways to get the project underway,” Glaude said.
Video peek
NOLS recently released a video tour showcasing the architectural renderings of the new Sequim Library.
The expanded facility will nearly double the library’s size from 6,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet, an expansion that library system officials say addresses the needs of the growing community and making critical infrastructure improvements.
The video tour and construction updates with photographs of the building site are available at NOLS.org/Sequim.
“The video tour gives viewers the experience of walking through the future library, revealing how well the new facility will serve the community for decades,” Glaude said. “We’re excited to show everyone what their support is helping to build.”
Library services and materials are currently handled at a temporary space at 609 W. Washington St., Suite 21, a commercial space once occupied by Brian’s Sporting Goods.
“It’s working really well as a temporary space, better than expected,” Glaude said.
However, the venue wasn’t built for some activities — or the level of activity, he said — with just two bathrooms on site.
Walk-through
Glaude detailed some of the progress made in the months since construction began in early April.
The expanded library will feature increased space for collections, ADA-accessible bathrooms and a fire sprinkler system. It also will offer enhanced broadband and technology access, dedicated children and teen areas, study and conference rooms, and flexible space for educational, cultural and civic events.
“We’re nearing net zero because of how well designed (the library) is,” Glaude said.
Priest said using the existing foundation as part of the expansion helped NOLS with considerable cost savings, too.
New sewer lines have been installed and utility work was completed along North Sequim Avenue to connect a new water line for the fire suppression system.
A solar array will be added to the south side of the building’s roof that can power the library for up to a day if there’s an outage, Glaude said.
Lakeside Industries may pave some of the parking area by the end of October, Priest said.
New to the site will be a paved pathway along the south side of the property from Sequim Avenue to the library’s entrance, children’s area and back patio and stage.
Glaude said another enhancement will include a “holds locker” — a kind of material vending unit to be located outside the library that patrons can use 24/7 to pick up their items. He said the technology is being used in other libraries and they are planning to have them at other branches, but it may not be ready on the first day of the Sequim Library reopening.
Streett teen section
The library’s new teen area will be named after the late Robby Streett, a Sequim teen library volunteer who died in a car wreck with his dad Robert in Colorado on July 20, 2017.
Robby, who loved being around books, used to ride his bike to the library and inspired his dad to help at the library, said his mom and Robert’s wife Josslyn.
Robert later became an NOLS trustee and advocated for the library’s expansion.
A memorial fund in the Streetts’ name will go to the expansion, Glaude said.
Funding
NOLS has raised nearly 60 percent of its $10.6 million goal, thanks in part to more than 220 donors who have contributed a total of $1.4 million toward the project.
NOLS continues to seek donations in any amount. Gifts of $250 or more made by Nov. 1 will be recognized on a donor wall in the new library.
Naming opportunities for significant spaces, such as the activity and meeting room ($500,000), outdoor stage ($200,000) and study rooms ($50,000 each) also are available.
“We’re inviting the community to help us complete this important project,” Glaude said. “Together, we can create a vibrant hub that will serve Sequim for generations to come.”
After sending out a call for donations to library patrol cardholders, “we’re getting a dozen checks in the mail every day,” Glaude said.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, and Michael Dashiell is the editor of the Sequim Gazette, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach Nash at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com and Dashiell at michael.dashiell@sequimgazette.com.
