Four New Buildings in the Works

We have four building projects underway! This is a busy and exciting time for library district administrators, staff, and library patrons in New Castle, Silt, Glenwood Springs, and Carbondale. Read on for a brief update on all four projects.

New Castle Branch Library

Renovations on the New Castle Branch Library are almost finished. External work is completed and internal work, like painting, wiring, and carpeting, is moving right along. Shelving will arrive soon and the district is already receiving shipments of new items for the greatly-expanded collection. We are on schedule to open the "new" branch library in mid-April.

The temporary library at 820 Castle Valley Blvd. will close its doors at 5:00 p.m. on March 23 so staff can move back to the remodeled facility. Join us at 402 West Main Street on Saturday, April 14, at 10:00 a.m. for the Grand Re-Opening of the New Castle Branch Library! We'll have refreshments and giveaways (until 2:00 p.m. or while supplies last) and you can check out the new building. The new library will feature a beautiful fireplace and reading area, local history room, teen area, interactive children's area, and a large community meeting room.

Silt Branch Library

We are preparing to break ground on the new Silt Branch Library on March 19th (weather permitting) at the corner of Seventh Street and Home Avenue, next door to the current library. The new library will have an expandable meeting room, two study rooms, separate teen and children's spaces and expanded computer access. The new library will have a community plaza between the library and Silt Town Hall. One of the features of this space will be 28 "volumes" cut into the concrete of the plaza, representing 28 books on a shelf. Donors can select a favorite book to honor for $250. Titles will need to be known titles of published works and the library can help with suggestions. If you are interested contact Kelsy Been at kbeen@gcpld.org or call 970-625-4270. We hope to be open in this location in October 2012.

Glenwood Springs Branch Library

Design work continues on the new Glenwood Springs Branch Library. The 14,000 square foot building will feature a 1,500 square foot public meeting room, a community plaza, quiet reading room with a fireplace, special children's and teen areas, and several private study rooms. The new branch will be built at the corner of Eighth Street and Cooper Avenue with construction starting in April 2012 and opening in mid-2013. Architect Dennis Humphries of Humphries Poli Architecture is leading the process.

An open house for interested subcontractors will be held Tuesday, February 21, at 4:30 p.m. at the Glenwood Springs Branch Library located at 413 9th Street. The open house is a chance to hear from the architect and the contractor about the project and the upcoming bid process. For more information call Amelia Shelley at 625-4270 or email ashelley@gcpld.org.

Carbondale Branch Library

The design team’s goal is to create a library that is not only in Carbondale, but of Carbondale. Our goal for ground-breaking is the summer of 2012 with an opening date sometime in mid-2013. The new 13,000 square foot library will be located at the corner of Third Street and Sopris Avenue, adjacent to Bridges High School. The site affords ample parking, proximity to downtown and the Third Street Center, and great views of Mount Sopris.

Currently the project is in process for a land use permit and will go before the Planning and Zoning Board on February 16. Bidding is expected to take place in April. The project is being offered as a Design/Bid/Build project and an open house will be held in March prior to the release of a Request for Qualifications/Proposals.