Library finish pushed back to July

Blew’s construction workers lay down wet cement outside the remodeled Colfax library.

Remodeling of the Colfax branch of the Whitman County Library is two months away from completion, knee-deep in wet cement, drying paint, clouds of dust and slowly-emerging renovations.

The project has been set back by about three weeks because the crew digging space for the elevator shaft ran into excessive ground water and more rocks than anticipated.

A new elevator, a skylight, handicap accessible restrooms, new windows, new doors, carpet and a remodeled children’s corner are all close to completion.

Construction on the library project began last December. Blew’s Construction, Spokane, is general contractor on the project. The company’s bid for the job was $660,940.

“We’ve fallen behind what they estimated,” said Kristie Kirkpatrick, library director.

Library staff offices upstairs have also been remodeled with a new skylight pouring light on both the upstairs and the main floor.

Estimated completion date is now set for July, she said.

The former children’s corner received some touch-ups too. It will have a rainforest theme. The corner will continue to be known as Hayden’s Corner in memory of Hayden Klaveano.

A supplier in California has been working for the past three months to build a massive, artificial rainforest tree to fit into the corner. The branches of the tree will spread the length of the corner and children can make themselves comfortable at the base.

“Lighting from the skylight will stretch through the branches,” Kirkpatirck said. Set up of the tree should be in late May or early June.

Rainforest sounds, such as animal calls, will play in the virtual forest.

Library staff and some library equipment moved next door to the U.S. Bank building for the duration of the construction.

The temporary, smaller space on the first floor of the bank holds four public computers and roughly 2,500 books. The bulk of the library’s books, 48,000, is pushed back into a corner of the building being remodeled.

While crews installed ceiling-high reams of plastic to section off books from the mess of construction, Kirkpatrick said a lot of dust still got in.

Roughly 14,000 people per year travel up and down the stairs to the library basement, Kirkpatrick said. Children and adult programs are located there. The new elevator will help ease this traffic, she said.

Of the $1 million spent on the library, $550,000 came from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through a USDA loan.

Another $115,000 came from a Washington state grant. The rest was from corporate grants, local donations, auctions and fundraising, according to Kirkpatrick.