Fayetteville library will open with expansion ready, staff says

Library director David Johnson (right) and development manager Roxi Hazelwood stand near the grand staircase in the expansion of the Fayetteville Public Library under construction Thursday Sept. 24, 2020. Administrators hope to open the newly expanded library by mid- to late November or early December. The library will nearly double in size, with an expanded youth services area, more collaboration spaces, a 700-seat multipurpose room and a dedicated genealogy research section. Visit nwaonline.com/200924Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for more photos. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T.WAMPLER)
Library director David Johnson (right) and development manager Roxi Hazelwood stand near the grand staircase in the expansion of the Fayetteville Public Library under construction Thursday Sept. 24, 2020. Administrators hope to open the newly expanded library by mid- to late November or early December. The library will nearly double in size, with an expanded youth services area, more collaboration spaces, a 700-seat multipurpose room and a dedicated genealogy research section. Visit nwaonline.com/200924Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for more photos. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T.WAMPLER)

FAYETTEVILLE -- The library will be closed for the next month or so.

People will have about 82,500 square feet of extra space to use when it opens.

The final stretch of completing the library's expansion involves moving the books, shelves, DVDs, CDs, magazines and other materials, as well as installing carpeting, lighting, ceiling tiles and furniture and painting, Executive Director David Johnson said.

"We've got a whale of a lot of work ahead of us moving into the expansion," he said. "It's just work that can't be done with patrons in the building."

Anticipated opening date is mid- to late November, Johnson said. The covid-19 pandemic has caused supply chain issues that are stalling the project, he said.

The ceiling tiles the library selected are on on delay because of the pandemic, for instance. Administrators could order temporary tiles that would arrive sooner, or delay opening until the right ones show up, Johnson said. A decision is pending.

"Those are some of the problems the pandemic has presented in terms of just supply chains and the manufacturers," he said.

Putting it all together

The library will have to adhere to the same building safety standards as any other commercial building, said Dennis Sanders, the city's building safety director.

Once the library is ready, building inspectors will check stairs, handrails, lights, entrances and other basic safety features. The Fire Marshal's Office will check the smoke alarm and sprinkler systems and exit lights.

Sanders anticipated being able to finish the building inspection by next month. Time spent readying the building for the public after that would be up to the library, he said.

"We have to look at the public safety," Sanders said "They're not going to get any special treatment from us just because it's a city building."

The expansion will nearly double the 88,000-square-foot library. The space will double for youth services, including preschool, grade school and teen areas. Areas for people to collaborate, work, study and learn will increase. A 700-seat event center will serve as a midsized venue for a variety of functions.

Genealogy research gets a dedicated section. More parking will accommodate more people. A teaching kitchen and deli will face West Avenue. An innovation center will allow residents to create their own music, videos and podcasts. Simulators will provide workforce training in aviation, trucking, construction and other fields.

Voters approved a 2.7-mill increase in property taxes in 2016, bringing the library's total property tax levy to 3.7 mills. About $26.9 million of the nearly $50 million cost of construction is coming from 1.2 mills of the 2.7-mill increase.

The tax rate will be lowered to 2.5 mills once the construction bonds are paid off within 30 years.

The remaining 1.5 mills of the increase will continue and cover the cost of operating the expanded building.

The pandemic will significantly alter the unveiling of the new library. The original plan was to have ceremonial events Oct. 9 and 10 -- 16 years after the original Blair library opened. A celebration is out of the picture now, Johnson said.

Library staff members hope to have some sort of soft opening, allowing a limited number of people inside at a time. Certain features may still be off limits, such as enclosed meeting rooms. But the larger, open spaces will be ready to go, Johnson said. The new preschool space, for example, is tall enough to have a biplane hanging over it.

The library actually will have two planes -- one from the Arkansas Air and Military Museum and another from Jett Aircraft -- along with a bright yellow helicopter with a shark's grin painted on it.

Options

People will still have access to an online library and curbside pickup while the building is closed. The online library has e-books, audiobooks, digital magazines, music, movies and the like, as well as resources for research and children.

Physical items can be checked out online or by phone and picked up outside.

Leland Anderson, 66, said adjusting to life without being able to go in the library for a month or two will be tough, but worth it. Before covid-19 hit, Anderson said, he probably went to the library at least three times a week.

The library, like most places in the state, closed in March. It opened May 18 on a reduced number of days, with shorter hours and capacity limited to 50 people. Seating areas were put away or wrapped in yellow tape.

Last week, the library closed off the adult and teen book collections so staff could start moving items and shelves. The library has kept its staff intact during the pandemic. While the building was closed, employees were trained to handle the new features coming with the expansion. The library will do as much of the moving in-house as it can.

Anderson said he's not sure where he might go while the library is closed. He doesn't have internet access at home and enjoys browsing the library's bookstore. He was there Tuesday to pick up a few items before the doors locked to the public.

Spending time at the library has been a vastly different experience since it opened in May, what with seating tucked away and the reduced hours and capacity, Anderson said. The city's Senior Center has been closed since March.

Anderson typically spends a lot of time at those two places. However, he remained optimistic about what's to come. He remembered the smooth transition from the old library on Dickson Street east of College Avenue to the Blair library in 2004 and expects a similar process this time around.

"I do look forward to what they're doing," Anderson said. "I know that's essential."

Providing free services, such as internet access and resume classes, to low-income residents or people experiencing homelessness is a top priority for library administrators, said Rob Qualls, president of the library's board. Unfortunately, closing the building to the public is necessary to finish the expansion, he said.

"It's devastating that we are having to make the decision to close the library," Qualls said. "We tried our best to avoid that happening."

The board in 2018 opted to go with a construction plan to keep operations in the building open as much as possible, rather than create an off-site library space while work was ongoing.

The library board wants to open the expanded library with at least the same amount of access it has retained since May. Administrators will review potential changes in days, hours and capacity with the intention of making the building as accessible as possible while keeping everyone inside safe, Qualls said.

Qualls said he has full trust in the library's staff to roll out a top-notch facility to the public under state directives and health guidelines.

"It absolutely is not ideal, but it's something we're just going to have to accept for right now," he said.

Construction continues Thursday Sept. 24, 2020 on the expansion of the Fayetteville Public Library. Administrators hope to open the newly expanded library by mid- to late November or early December. The library will nearly double in size, with an expanded youth services area, more collaboration spaces, a 700-seat multipurpose room and a dedicated genealogy research section. Visit nwaonline.com/200924Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for more photos. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T.WAMPLER)
Construction continues Thursday Sept. 24, 2020 on the expansion of the Fayetteville Public Library. Administrators hope to open the newly expanded library by mid- to late November or early December. The library will nearly double in size, with an expanded youth services area, more collaboration spaces, a 700-seat multipurpose room and a dedicated genealogy research section. Visit nwaonline.com/200924Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for more photos. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T.WAMPLER)
Construction continues Thursday Sept. 24, 2020 on the expansion of the Fayetteville Public Library. Administrators hope to open the newly expanded library by mid- to late November or early December. The library will nearly double in size, with an expanded youth services area, more collaboration spaces, a 700-seat multipurpose room and a dedicated genealogy research section. Visit nwaonline.com/200924Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for more photos. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T.WAMPLER)
Construction continues Thursday Sept. 24, 2020 on the expansion of the Fayetteville Public Library. Administrators hope to open the newly expanded library by mid- to late November or early December. The library will nearly double in size, with an expanded youth services area, more collaboration spaces, a 700-seat multipurpose room and a dedicated genealogy research section. Visit nwaonline.com/200924Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for more photos. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T.WAMPLER)
Construction continues Thursday Sept. 24, 2020 on the expansion of the Fayetteville Public Library. Administrators hope to open the newly expanded library by mid- to late November or early December. The library will nearly double in size, with an expanded youth services area, more collaboration spaces, a 700-seat multipurpose room and a dedicated genealogy research section. Visit nwaonline.com/200924Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for more photos. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T.WAMPLER)
Construction continues Thursday Sept. 24, 2020 on the expansion of the Fayetteville Public Library. Administrators hope to open the newly expanded library by mid- to late November or early December. The library will nearly double in size, with an expanded youth services area, more collaboration spaces, a 700-seat multipurpose room and a dedicated genealogy research section. Visit nwaonline.com/200924Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for more photos. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T.WAMPLER)
Library director David Johnson (right) shows the video production studio in the expansion of the Fayetteville Public Library under construction Thursday Sept. 24, 2020.Thursday Sept. 24, 2020. Administrators hope to open the newly expanded library by mid- to late November or early December. The library will nearly double in size, with an expanded youth services area, more collaboration spaces, a 700-seat multipurpose room and a dedicated genealogy research section. Visit nwaonline.com/200924Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for more photos. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T.WAMPLER)
Library director David Johnson (right) shows the video production studio in the expansion of the Fayetteville Public Library under construction Thursday Sept. 24, 2020.Thursday Sept. 24, 2020. Administrators hope to open the newly expanded library by mid- to late November or early December. The library will nearly double in size, with an expanded youth services area, more collaboration spaces, a 700-seat multipurpose room and a dedicated genealogy research section. Visit nwaonline.com/200924Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for more photos. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/J.T.WAMPLER)

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Stacy Ryburn can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @stacyryburn.

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