Construction on downtown’s River Center Branch Library—previously expected to wrap by Oct. 30—has been pushed back a couple of months to Dec. 24, according to city officials.
The delay is mostly due to a lag in the delivery of certain building materials.
The additional setback means the library will open its doors to the public sometime this spring, says Mary Stein, assistant library director.
“We’re still making really good progress,” Stein says. “The floors are in, the lights are in on the second and third floors, plumbing’s set up and it’s fully painted, but we still need to work on the stairwell, AC, planting and other things.”
She attributes the delay to contractors waiting for aluminum composite material to arrive—and then realizing they needed more of it. The contractor also had to hire a new subcontractor after the landscaper retired, among other minor hiccups.
But once construction is complete by Christmas Eve, Stein says remaining work will involve simple punch list inspections. Move-in work will include accessorizing the library with furniture, adding shelves, installing computers and other IT systems, and collecting books from the downtown Kress building, where they’ve been stored. Stein estimates construction is 95% complete.
“We’re appreciative people are patient,” she says. “The parts are starting to move together.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated since it was originally published with the library’s new substantial completion date, provided by the mayor’s office. The original information was incorrectly provided by the library board.
