Construction crews are busy moving items from the main area of MCPL in order to begin renovations.
The Mason County Public Library is closed due to renovations taking place.
Alexa Colemire, director of MCPL, said the library will be closed until Oct. 19. On that date, the library will only reopen for curbside services. The date to return to in-person services is currently unknown, but will not happen until renovations on the structure are finished.
Colemire said she wants patrons to be aware that no fines will be accrued while the library is closed.
“We will not place any fines on accounts,” she said. “People can still renew items online or drop them off. Next week, we will have our phones operational again and people can call in to renew items, but no one will have to worry about fines.”
According to Colemire, construction crews are currently moving items from the main area of the library to the newly built addition in order to begin renovations on the original structure.
According to MCPL Board of Trustees Chair David Hord, once work on the existing part of the library is finished, equipment will be returned to the area. He said he is hoping work will be finished by December.
“I’m really happy about where we are,” he said. “Everything has been rather smooth.”
Project architect Jeff Pearson said the library expansion includes turning the existing children’s area into a community room that is larger than the current room, and moving the children’s area and teen center into the expanded area.
In that part of the library, there is also an area for children’s programming, an office, storage room and a nursing area for mothers. A gallery/hallway will connect the new addition to the current area of the library on the inside.
The cost of the project is $3.6 million and is being paid through the library’s general fund. Those costs included site development, construction, modifications, temporary location rent and moving fees, engineering/architect costs and a contingency fund.
MCPL’s current facility was constructed in 1994. An addition was constructed in 2002.
