PCCLD has made significant progress toward a comprehensive remodeling project for the Rawlings Library. There is a nice overview of this here (as well as other library building upgrades to occur later): https://www.pueblolibrary.org/sites/default/files/pdf/PCCLDLibraryFacilitiesMasterVisionPlans.pdf. Please take some time to review this document keeping in mind some details are subject to change. It is pleasing now to announce the Rawlings Library refurbishing project is officially underway.
There is a core team of PCCLD employees assigned to oversee the project, including Sherri Baca, Amy Nelson, and myself. Jill Kleven, Nick Potter, Alex Romero, Terri Daly, Robert Childress, Alan Rocco, and Rawlings Library department managers also have important roles. Rawlings Library team members as well as administrative support staff will play key parts along the way. Ultimately, the project will impact the entire district since the Rawlings Library is the largest and busiest library in the county as well as the district’s administrative headquarters.
A vital step in getting to this point occurred when Pueblo County voters passed Library Ballot Measure 6B in November 2019. A major component of 6B includes funds for “refreshing and renovating our libraries to maintain them as comfortable spaces for reading, studying, and learning.” The District’s Board of Trustees followed the successful November 2019 ballot measure by adopting a resolution in May 2020 making commitment to the PCCLD Master Facilities Plan Fund. The Rawlings Library renovation is the first step in the Master Facilities Plan to refurbish all PCCLD facilities over the course of a ten-year period through 2030.
Design firms for the Rawlings renovation were brought onto the job in July 2019 by action of the Board of Trustees. There are two design firms involved: Anderson Mason Dale (AMD) Architects and HBM Architects. AMD was the primary firm during the original construction of the Rawlings Library about twenty years ago and HBM Architects is among a handful of the most prominent library design firms in the country today. AMD and HBM are partnering on this work. More recently in August 2020, H. W. Houston Construction was awarded the construction manager/general contractor role by the Board of Trustees based upon H. W. Houston’s lowest-cost, best proposal from among eight firms that sought this job.
Refurbishing the Rawlings Library is contemplated to involve significant interior work, upgrades to building systems and equipment, and refreshing furniture and fixtures as well as some exterior site work. The current timeline for the project is continuing to evolve at this time but should occur over approximately a two-year period. Design work on the remodel kicked-off in July and should be completed in early 2021. Construction is scheduled to commence in the second quarter of 2021 and take about twelve months to finish. The refreshed facility should be finalized by mid-year 2022.
We anticipate library operations will continue to function during the design and construction phases although there will be periodic significant impacts to various activities during different phases of construction. Stay tuned as more information is forthcoming about this.
This is the first in what will be an ongoing series of announcements about this vital project as it progresses. This renovation of the Rawlings Library ensures PCCLD continues to work strategically in order to provide the best possible public library service to the community.
Jon
Jon Walker
Executive Director
