Seven months, several coats of stucco, one stone staircase and many refurbished windows later, the Fairhaven Branch of the Bellingham Public Library has been declared "water tight" and ready to serve the public for another 100-plus years.
“We’re thrilled with the results of the repair project," Library Director Pamela Kiesner said. "Any time you start working on an older building there are bound to be surprises – but fortunately we were able to address issues as they came up, and wound up with a better end product."
The Friends of the Library are planning a re-opening celebration at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, with tours and refreshments to celebrate the library's 105th birthday. The public is invited to attend.
The Fairhaven Branch will open to new operating hours: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and closed Sunday and Monday.
Hours changes at Fairhaven and Barkley branches follow previous cuts to hours at the Central Library, which went from being open four nights a week to two. Sunday hours at the Central Library have also been eliminated.
"We're focusing right now on the fact that we're opening the Fairhaven Branch with a water-tight building," Kiesner said. “Which is a great thing, considering all the wind and rain we’ve been getting"
Library staff want to remind everyone that most of the changes that occurred affected the exterior of the library – this was not the complete renovation originally proposed over a year ago.
"Some of the same old dents and scratches inside the building are still there…what's missing is the drafty windows, the rusty beams in the Fireplace Room, and the loose bricks in the Auditorium," Kiesner said. "We haven't lost sight of the fact that this building requires more TLC to bring it back to its original glory, as well as major structural improvements to address seismic issues, but those improvements will have to wait for a better economy."
Construction began June 1, 2009 with Dawson Construction as the General Contractor and RMC Architects as the local representative for Fletcher, Farr, Ayotte of Portland. George Banning of CCM Services served as Construction Manager for the City.
"The entire team worked together very well," said Assistant Director Christine Perkins, who represented the library on the project team."Ben Thompson, Dawson's Superintendent on the project, has a lot of experience renovating historic buildings, so we felt confident that he would know how to approach any existing conditions that were uncovered. Brad Cornwell and Peter Niles of RMC Architects, along with George Banning, kept an eye out on the library's behalf, although Dawson was on top of things so we were well-informed throughout the process."
The Fairhaven Branch Library Repairs Project was intended to address a century of water infiltration that had plagued the building. Crews removed damaged stucco from the building's exterior, rebuilt rotten windows and re-glazed the original glass, installed comprehensive flashing systems, and applied new stucco to the building. New storm windows, gutters and downspouts were also installed. Gordon McLeod, a specialist in historic masonry, repaired crumbling brick and rebuilt the entire stone entrance staircase.
The much-loved Fireplace Room on the lower level received a major structural lift when rusted metal poles were replaced with a new beam system. Finally, the grounds around the library were re-graded to direct water away from the building, and landscaping was rearranged to provide better air circulation at the sandstone foundation. A large new book return was installed on 12th Street to make it more convenient to return library materials when the building is closed.
"The construction crew received many compliments about the new book return from people dropping off library materials, as well as numerous questions about when the library would re-open," said Perkins.
Before the branch opens, City facilities staff will tackle a few maintenance projects, then library staff can work on bringing library materials back to the branch and re-stocking the shelves.
"We'll have everything in good shape for the New Year," said Donna Grasdock, Branch Specialist. "I can't wait to get back in the library and see our regular patrons again."
Posted: Nov 24, 2009
