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Library's first addition may open in June By TONY BOOM Mail Tribune ASHLAND - Patrons can expect to take advantage of a three-story addition to the city library by June. The roof is nearing completion and exterior finish work is starting on the addition, which will more than triple the amount of library space from 7,000 to 22,000 square feet. The addition will feature more hookups for computers, an area designed for children, better disabled access and rooms for meetings and conferences. After the addition opens, work will begin on remodeling the 1912 Carnegie building that now serves the public. Adroit Construction is the contractor on the $4.2 million project. Ashland voters approved the project in a November 1999 vote, which was then superseded in 2000 by voter approval of $38.9 million in library upgrades throughout the county. About $150,000 of a $430,000 contingency fund has been spent on unexpected expenditures so far, said Dick Wanderscheid, city administrative services director. They were "nothing out of the ordinary, especially with an existing building and an intertie," said Steve Lawrence, president of Adroit Construction. Three major items have accounted for most of the extra expenditures: Better quality fill material was needed to support the new building. A basement oil tank was removed and the entire basement floor was replaced with a new drainage system. Original plans called for replacing only a portion of the floor. A retaining wall on the rear of the Carnegie building was also replaced because it did not provide adequate support. Retaining wall work allowed for installation of another handicapped access point to the library, said Wanderscheid. Reference Librarian Amy Blossom said once the new building is open, about 35,000 volumes now in storage will be put back on the shelves. "We'll be able to bring back all adult and teen books. We're uncertain of how children's services will be done" until the remodel is completed, she said. When the entire library is finished, children's services will occupy the old library area, which is scheduled to reopen in September. A grant from Trust Management Services of Waldport will supply a hospitality center with refrigerator, microwave oven, sink, counters and cabinets in the community meeting room. Friends of the Ashland Library secured the $7,960 grant. The project, though running smoothly, has not been without controversy. Some residents worried about cutting nearby trees, losing the historic look of the 90-year-old Carnegie library, and exacerbating a lack of parking in the area. A move to leave the Carnegie complex as is and put the library elsewhere fizzled, however. Restoration of the old building will include new "historic" plaster that will look like the original. Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.