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Crews craft final touches on Carnegie By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings The remodel of the old Carnegie portion of the Ashland Public Library is nearly complete, and library staff members are gearing up to reoccupy the historic structure. "To have this all just for the children is going to be wonderful," said Jackson County Public Library System South Regional Manager Bob Wilson. "It wouldn't have lasted another two years (without the renovation.)" The whole library - including the addition which has been open for nearly a year - will be shut down May 5-19 so library staff can move everything into the new version of the 100-year -old Carnegie facility. The move will include the retrieval of nearly a quarter of the library's books, now in storage in the Talent fire station. The move had originally been planned to start two months ago, but a problem with delivery of the new carpet held things up. The carpet never did appear, and library officials had to re-order a slightly different version. "We had to cancel everything (until the carpet came)," Wilson said. "A lot of things had to wait - the baseboards, shelving, some electrical work." But, standing in the center of the all but complete library, Wilson wiggled his feet with pleasure. "I love the carpet - it feels squishy," Wilson said. "I can see kids crawling around on it." A voter-approved, $4.2 million bond allowed the library to historically improve the Carnegie facility for use as the library's children's section, in addition to completing an extension to the library. Much of the old building has been restored to resemble its original state, with high shelves lining the walls, decorative brass vents and other historic touches. "That is the kind of thing the architect was really a stickler for," Wilson said. The living-room feel of the old library has not changed, it's just a nicer living room now. Wilson - who has been at the Ashland library for 20 years - is having no problem adjusting to the changes in the old library or new addition. "I love change, but it'll be another year or so for things to shake down," he said. The remodeled structure boasts two large meeting rooms in the basement, a kitchen for special events and plenty of room for children to read or attend special events and story-telling sessions, which have been drawing crowds of 30 to 40 kids in recent weeks. "So many people have grown up with a Carnegie (library), we wanted to keep that Carnegie heritage for the children," Wilson said. There is also a staff break room and completely revamped bathrooms, replacing the old, leaky ones which often flooded due to natural or human-caused events. "These are gorgeous restrooms, and we don't have to mop anymore," Wilson said. Library officials are still waiting for wood to cure from the sacrificed 100-year-old ginkgo tree felled outside the library. The tree was cut for the expansion, drawing public controversy. Wood from the tree may be used for benches, according to Wilson. The library will open May 20, followed by a grand opening event June 1. On May 18, an invitation-only reception will be held to show off the refurbished Carnegie to library supporters. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -