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RENOVATION WORK: Gabe Slifer, left to right, Drew Achenback and Stan Ross work in the basement of the Logansport Cass County Public Library. The men work for Commercial Construction Inc. which is overseeing the library’s major renovaitons.
Work under way
Major renovations at library on track
Logansport Cass County Public Library Director David Ivey says the library’s major renovation work is being completed as scheduled.
“We met with CCI last week for a construction meeting and everything seems to be running smoothly,” Ivey said. “There have been no unpleasant surprises at this point, which is good, especially with an old building like this one.”
So far, crews from Commercial Contracting Inc. of Fort Wayne, which was awarded the contract with a base bid of $804,000 in November, have been completing demolition work behind the circulation desks on the first and second floors and in the basement.
Ivey said the previous shelving units are being removed, and because they were the part of the building’s foundation, new footings for four support columns are being installed.
The library director said patrons might notice temporary walls throughout the building that have been put up to block construction noise. The most noticeable part of the construction, he said, has been the smell. Sealant and dust from cutting concrete have permeated the air.
Removing the existing shelving has revealed some of the library’s history, Ivey said. Portions of the first-floor ceiling and walls revealed burnt and charred structure from a 1941 fire. Some of the building’s original paint has also been revealed.
Renovation work should be limited to the space behind the circulation desks for the next two to three weeks.
“They want to complete that area first, and next they will be moving to refurbishing work in the back, like replacing carpets,” Ivey said.
Final construction work will remove the main staircase at the entryway of the building. Other interior changes include a new computer lab upstairs, new carpet upstairs and restrooms on the second floor.
Exterior design plans call for a parking lot, an outdoor seating area, a shelter and shade canopy, a limestone sign, a security camera and a new bike rack. Outdoor work should begin this spring.
Ivey said the library will remain open throughout the span of the construction work. As of now, the work has not impacted circulation.
“Circulation has stayed about the same basically,” he said. “Everyone is using the same areas of the building right now.”
The library director said keeping the check-out count as high as in 2009 will be a challenge. The library circulated more than 500,000 items last year, which was the highest circulation rate the library has ever had.
For some recent perspective of the library’s high usage rate, Ivey said of the 30 Indiana library districts in the same population category as Logansport, the local facility was ranked 28 in 2005 at a circulation rate of about 131,000 items annually. In 2009, the library was ranked fourth of the 30.
“We are experiencing strong usage,” Ivey said. “The challenge will be to keep this usage up as we move through construction and into 2011.”
• Jennifer Tangeman is a reporter for the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at 574-732-5148 or jennifer.tangeman@pharostribune.com.
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