Library Demolition
May 2025
What’s happening inside the Library? The first part of the renovation and expansion project is demolition. Beyond preparing for a second floor, redesign of a majority of the first floor and the mechanical systems requires heavy tear-out of walls, carpet, ceilings and more.
Design calls for relocating and enlarging the children’s room, a priority goal of the project in order to meet the needs of families in our community. The walls of the former children’s room have been removed, making way for the new “vertical circulation” (the stairs and the elevator).
Other areas have been cleared, as well. Portions of the drywall have been removed to allow access for additional supports for the future second floor. Ceiling tiles, light fixtures, and ductwork are out to allow removal of the roof trusses from the interior, reducing the upfront expense of a crane. While the building was originally designed to hold a second floor on a portion of the building, newer codes have more requirements. New steel beams will be placed, as well as pole supports in 7 locations. Large slab cuts have been made in preparation for their placement.
The largest slab cut sits at the site of the future elevator. The hydraulic elevator requires excavation to install a 5′ pit and two-floor elevator shaft. For best compaction, the dig site will slope down and filled in after the shaft construction is complete. Want to guess about the largest size rock the excavator finds? Since the site formerly hosted a town fishing pond, filled in before the 1970s library building was constructed, all hopes are for a boulder-free dig.
Another goal of the project is to update mechanical systems, as well as reduce the Library’s contribution to emissions. With a $500,000 award of a Colorado Energy Office grant, new electric heating and cooling systems will be installed. The 20-year-old furnaces and condensers have been removed to make way for VRF heat pump systems, which will be housed on the roof.
The exposed frames, flooring, and infrastructure shows a solid foundation that has held up well in its 20 years. The Library appears a vacant shell, ready to welcome its new spaces.
