Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Uniontown Library
Sheri Miller, Whitman County Library Children's Services, right, dances with kids during a Uniontown Storytime.
Uniontown will hold an open house for its new, expanded library at the Town Hall Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1:30 p.m. will also recognize contributors and volunteers who spurred the estimated $80,000 project.
The final result includes two elements which were set aside earlier after bids came in higher than expected.
A craft cabinet and storage closet were subsequently cut from plans and then later brought back after more fundraising.
“We just had to go out and beat the bushes, beat the bushes,” said Leslee Miller, project coordinator on behalf of Whitman County Libraries. “We were able to get everything we wanted.”
The cabinets were built by area resident Greg Weber, who discounted time and materials.
The new Uniontown Library space opened for its first day Feb. 12.
Its new 700 square feet layout is five times the area of the original, which was built as part of the town hall building in 1946.
Mangum Construction of Clarkston began work on the new space last September, cutting out the old concrete floor of the fire station garage, which is now the main room of the new library.
The floor was replaced to account for the previous sloped surface for drainage.
The library project got underway with an adjustment to the original plan in order to save money.
To reduce the bid by $800, the Whitman County Library decided to leave out its planned cabinet sink area for kids’ crafts. Instead, Mangum roughed-in plumbing and electrical in the room for later completion.
Atlas Concrete of Lewiston donated the concrete and Joe Weber Concrete of Lewiston-Clarkston donated time and materials for the texture and surface of the new floor.
Taking out the old, sloped concrete added $1,640 to the library project, which also includes new handicapped-accessible bathrooms for the town hall.
After the slabs were cut and piled on Main Street out front of the old fire hall, a Roach Construction truck from Genesee hauled the pieces to a spot to fill land at the Uniontown sewer ponds.
The total estimate for the expanded library is $72,000, made up of $30,000 in Whitman County .09 economic development funds, $17,000 from Inland Northwest Community Foundation, $2,000 from Northwest Farm Credit Services and other contributions from businesses and individuals.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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