The Seattle Public Library invites community members to share their “hopes and dreams” for the Magnolia Branch from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 28 at Catharine Blaine Elementary School, 2550 34th Ave. W. For more information, call David Kunselman, Library project manager, at (206) 386-4096.
The meeting will give library users an opportunity to describe their vision for the improvements planned for the building, and discuss preferences in services and programs, collections, and artwork. Designers from Snyder Hartung Kane Strauss Architects will report on their study to assess the feasibility of expanding the 5,904-square-foot building.
Members of The Seattle Public Library board of trustees and the Library’s Capital Program Office also will be present to hear from community members and to answer questions about the project.
The Magnolia Branch, which opened in 1964, will be renovated and possibly expanded. In 2001, Seattle’s Landmarks Preservation Board voted to designate the branch as a landmark building. The Library will work with the landmarks board to preserve the architectural character of the library.
The $875,727 renovation work includes upgrading technology services, equipment and ventilation, improving electrical, communication and computer connections, adding energy-efficient windows and new carpeting, and improving the interior layout.
The $1,624,365 set aside for the potential expansion work would be funded through the Opportunity Fund, a special fund created as part of the “Libraries for All” bond measure to be used for new or unanticipated neighborhood library capital needs.
Voters approved the $196.4 million bond measure 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, Fremont, Green Lake, Greenwood, High Point, NewHolly, North East, Rainier Beach, Wallingford and West Seattle branches. The International District/Chinatown Branch opens at noon Saturday, June 11. Many other branches are in the planning, design or construction phase.
The Seattle Public Library Foundation continues to raise funds from private sources to enhance the public bond commitment and keep pace with the demands of patrons for a high level of library service. Every dollar raised 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 about “Libraries for All” or the Foundation, visit the Library’s Web site at www.spl.org.
(For more information, call Caroline Young Ullmann, assistant communications director, 206-615-1627.)
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Content modified: 9 June 2005
12/30/2005
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