The Seattle Public Library’s Madrona-Sally Goldmark Branch, 1134 33 rd Ave., will close at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 16 for renovation.
During the closure, the Library will add staff to nearby branches to help meet the need for library service. Librarians also will continue community outreach to children and young adults and will make school visits in the branch’s service area during the school year.
The closest branches to the Madrona-Sally Goldmark Branch are: the Douglass-Truth Branch, 2300 E. Yesler Way, 684-4704; the Montlake Branch, 2401 24 th Ave. E., 684-4720; and the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., 386-4636.
Users may choose any other Library location as a pickup location for items placed on hold, interlibrary loan requests or purchase suggestions. Patrons may return Library materials to any branch. If Madrona-Sally Goldmark Branch patrons don’t select an alternate branch, their holds will be sent to the Douglass-Truth Branch.
Saturday, June 16 is the last day to pick up an item on hold, or check out or return materials at the Madrona-Sally Goldmark Branch. The book drop, however, will stay open until 5 p.m. Friday, June 29.
Heliotrope Architects designed the renovations so patrons and staff could more efficiently use the interior space. The branch will emphasize materials for children, popular fiction, DVDs, and space for holds pick-up. The project also will include new seating, upgraded technology services and equipment, better electrical, communication and computer connections, improved ventilation, a modern mechanical system and an updated book collection.
The 1,707-square-foot branch opened in a converted firehouse in 1973 and is heavily used by residents and schoolchildren.
This is the second time a closure date has been set for the branch. The first closure date in April was set aside after construction bids came in higher than expected. The sole bid received April 12 was $916,640; the Library’s estimated construction cost was $330,000.
At that time, The Seattle Public Library board of trustees directed staff to look at two options:
The Library Board decided at its May 23 meeting to move forward with awarding the construction contract after the Library and the contractor negotiated a better price and the research into leasing options resulted in few appropriate spaces with high renovation costs.
The contractor worked with its subcontractors to reduce its bid by several hundred thousand dollars while still protecting the scope of work and integrity of the interior layout, which separates activities such as busy children’s story times from the holds pickup area.
Changes from the original design include simplifying bracing requirements for the chimney, reducing the exterior walkway installation and changing the wood grade for some of the interior millwork. A vestibule entry, which was added to the original scope of work, was eliminated, though the main entry will move north toward Union Street to improve visibility.
After the branch closes, staff will prepare the books and other materials to be moved out of the building. The collections and furniture will be stored while construction is under way. The renovated branch is projected to reopen in early 2008.
The project is part of the $196.4 million “Libraries for All” bond measure that Seattle voters passed in 1998. The bond money, which can be used only for construction of libraries, is funding new and improved branches, in addition to the new Central Library.
To date, the Library has completed the new Central Library and the Ballard, Beacon Hill, Capitol Hill, Columbia, Delridge, Douglass-Truth, Fremont, Green Lake, Greenwood, High Point, International District/Chinatown, Lake City, Montlake, NewHolly, North East, Northgate, Rainier Beach, South Park, Southwest, Wallingford and West Seattle branches. Several other branches are in the construction phase.
The Seattle Public Library Foundation continues to raise funds from private sources to keep pace with the demands of patrons for the most comprehensive and dynamic library facilities and services. Every dollar raised by the Foundation will ensure a level of excellence in the Library’s facilities, collections, and programs that would not be possible through its tax-based support alone.
For more information, visit the Library’s Web site at www.spl.org.
(For more information, call Caroline Young Ullmann, assistant communications director, at 206-615-1627.)
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Content modified: 30 May 2007
05/30/2007
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