On March 6, the San Diego County Library broke ground for the new Alpine Library, to replace the current 1978 facility. The new 12,700 square foot, $9.4 million building, to be constructed next to Community Center Park at four times the size of its predecessor, was developed by the design-build team of C.W. Driver, Ferguson Pape Baldwin Architects, and Manuel Oncina Architects. The building will feature expanded collections, an enlarged children’s area, both dedicated teen and tween spaces, a computer lab, a resource room, a fireplace, a homework center, a Friends bookstore, and an outdoor patio. The county set aside $10 million in 2013 for the project; another $350,000 for furnishings has been raised by the Alpine Library Friends, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The library is targeting Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification and will be the county’s first zero net energy (ZNE) building.
Celebration is in order in Cañon City, CO, with the completion of the three-year renovation to the Cañon City Public Library . The four-phase project finished up phases one and two in 2013 with the children’s area and the technology center. The 17,500 square foot library continued to phases three and four with upgrades to the main floor and the 1902 Carnegie section, according to the Daily Record. After voters rejected two tax increases, Create Cañon City—a public/private partnership—and Leck Construction worked with the community to finish the project, which was funded largely through grants.
Huzzahs were heard in Detroit with the February 26 opening of the Douglass Technology Center@Frederick Douglass Branch for Specialized Services facility of the Detroit Public Library. Located in the Woodbridge neighborhood, the center features 50 computers, a computer lab, free Wi-Fi access, computer classes, personalized instruction, and access to online tools.
Work is now under way on the new 32,000 square foot Laurel Library branch of Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, MD. The $14 million project includes demolition of the original 1965 structure, which closed in February 2014 in preparation for construction to begin—construction that was delayed owing to procurement issues. The library has been in a temporary location ever since. The project is expected to take 18 months.