Parking Lot Progress

They are still working on our parking lot, and it's kind of a jumble out there. We are still open, of course, but please be careful driving and walking in the parking lot!

Some of our islands have been removed and are in the process of being rebuilt. Here is a shot from a few days ago, showing how the footprint for a new parking lot island has been cut into the asphalt:

Once the space is cut, workers have to build up the curb. Here's a shot of them doing just that:

And of course, they're still working on widening our driveway. It looks kind of messy, so please be careful entering and exiting our lot!

And finally, if you've been by this week, you may be wondering what they're putting on the overhang of the tower out front... stickers?

Nope. Workers are now installing sheets of metal. The white paper with the writing on it is a protective film so the panels don't get scratched up during installation. Once all the pieces are installed (kind of like a giant, upside down, very heavy jigsaw puzzle), the film will be peeled off, and we'll have a beautiful building! The same panels will be installed on those green areas between the windows on the addition and on the posts. It's going to look cool.

Updating our parking lot

If you've been by the Library in the past couple weeks, you've no doubt noticed some big changes with our parking lot. Things are going to be messy out there for a couple weeks as workers widen our driveway and reconfigure the lot to meet current code.

For starters, there has always been a bit of a bottleneck with people trying to leave the Library parking lot because we've always had one entrance lane and one exit lane. With the renovation, we'll soon have three lanes... one entrance and two exit lanes (one for turning left onto Dudley Drive, one for turning right).

In addition to the wider driveway, the parking lot update will include the installation of new islands, curbs and sidewalks.

Also, you may have noticed that some of our beautiful trees have been cut down.

Unfortunately, some of the trees had to go because they've outgrown the spaces they were planted in! Don't worry, though... more trees will be planted. Plus, the big tree in the circular island out front (a genuine descendent of Athens' most famous tree, the Tree that Owns Itself) will remain untouched.


We ask you to please be careful while driving and walking through our parking lot while this work is going on. We'll have construction fencing, orange barrels and flagmen to help you navigate!

First look at the first floor addition!

Get ready to feast your eyes on all kinds of exciting photos in this post! First up, a lovely shot of the new lobby with tower from the outside taken this morning. Workers are almost done with the glass. The awning took shape over the past few days. Looks great!

We were lucky enough to get some photos of the first floor work INSIDE this morning, for the first time ever. Here are some exclusive photos of the new auditorium/meeting room on the east addition (facing Dudley Drive):

This room, which will seat 300 people, will also be divisible into thirds to create three separate meeting rooms. These big windows overlook the retention pond out front.

It gets great sunlight in the morning. Can't you just imagine having a meeting in here? (once it's finished, of course) The first floor of this addition will also house the Library Store and a vending/cafe area, with doors that open onto a patio.

And now for the REALLY cool, knock-your-socks-off photos. Remember that glass tower out front? We actually got photos from inside the new lobby, and the scale of it is breathtaking:

The above photo is taken looking toward the front door. Notice the worker to get an idea of how tall this space is.

Here's a shot facing into the lobby from the front door. To the left is the new auditorium; to the right is the library's Circulation area.

Can you tell how excited we are?

Progress!

Moving right along. The additions are just about "dried in," meaning that we have walls, roof and windows. Right now, the most obvious work you see outside is work on the new lobby's tower, as seen above. By the way, the green spaces you see under the windows will be covered with silver panels for a sleek, modern look.

Workers are putting the finishing touches on the glass for the lobby.

But there's a lot of stuff going on inside, too. Workers are finishing up HVAC in the additions and installing fire sprinklers. They're also working on drywall and will begin millwork (interior cabinets and trim) soon! We'll try to get some photos of that for posting once it begins!

Topping out! Plus, more bricks! And a sneak peek upstairs

When we walked out of the library on a glorious springlike day yesterday afternoon, we were greeted with this scene:

Yep, that flag means we're officially topped out... last beam placed! :)Glad we took a photo yesterday. It was much gloomier out there this morning with all the clouds.

Walking into the building this morning, we stopped off to talk to with some construction folks about what's ahead. They told us that bricks on the schedule for the front addition next week. Here's a shot of it this morning, as workers were putting on the green waterproofing barrier:

Also, be ready for a week without air conditioning at the library starting Monday, Feb. 27, as workers install our new cooling tower to update our building's hvac system.

Finally, we did a quick walk-through "behind the wall" upstairs this morning because we heard that some finishing paint had been put on some of the walls. The photos here don't really do it justice, but it's a very calming palette so far... very pale, soft gray with accents of pale blue:

Pretty! LOVE that expanse of soft blue in the second photo!

Yes, they do windows!

Another sign of progress on our project: Windows!

Here's a worker preparing the openings for glass installation in the addition that faces our parking lot.

And here's a cool shot of a new window on the second level of that addition. Notice the window to the left as well... panes in progress!

NEXT week will be the week when workers replace our chilling tower for our HVAC system. That means that for seven days, starting on Feb. 27, our building will not have air conditioning. Please plan accordingly!

Heads up... we won't have air conditioning next week

As buildings age, so do their mechanical systems. Our library's heating and air systems are outdated and will be replaced as part of our renovation. As long as the parts arrive on time, workers will begin installing our new chilling tower next Monday (February 20). This very necessary work will take about seven days, and there will be no cooling system operable during this time. Please plan accordingly and dress in layers when you visit us next week!

We apologize for the temporary inconvenience this work may cause, but the end result will be a much more efficient system that will heat and cool the building more effectively and save energy (and dollars).