Kenmore set to open the book on its new library on Saturday

Published 3:31 pm Friday, July 1, 2011

It’s taken about 6 1/2 years from inception to completion — and some snags along the way — but the Kenmore Library will finally open its doors July 9.

“We are so psyched, the community has waited a long time for this,” Robin Wharton, operations supervisor, said last Friday morning during a breakfast break from the first staff meeting in the new, 10,000-square-foot building.

“We had a preview party for city dignitaries and area business leaders on Wednesday night to give them a sneak peek. We’re working hard, getting things ready to open on the 9th.”

The grand-opening ceremony is set for 9:30 a.m. and the building (pictured at right) will officially open at 10 a.m. at 6531 N.E. 181st St. The current, 1,800-square-foot, triple-wide-trailer library (18138 73rd Ave. N.E.) will be closed July 7-8 as the final move to the new library begins.

The Kenmore Library was founded in 1958 and the trailer (pictured below) has been in existence since the 1970s. Wharton said the current library has six employees and the new one will have 16. She’s in awe of their state-of-the-art phone system, which Shannon Martin from Black Box introduced to the staff on Friday.

“It’s a big difference, a quantum leap in staffing and services and collection,” Wharton said. “(We had an) 18,000-item order of brand-spanking-new things that we shelved in two days.”

Construction on the $8.4-million project broke ground June 8, 2010. The price tag includes books, materials, computers, space for children and teens and a community meeting room. There will also be an underground parking garage.

Construction work that is currently under way at many King County Library System (KCLS) libraries is aided by a $172-million capital bond supported by residents in September 2004. The KCLS Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) was developed through extensive community outreach, involvement and discussion prior to the election and includes enhancements for all KCLS libraries to meet community needs during the next decade.

The new Kenmore Library timeline began in January 2005, when KCLS hired real-estate consultants to search for a location. In the following years, several spots were considered, until the final location was secured. However, there were delays as the U.S. Post Office made plans for relocation and finally opened its new Kenmore building on April 26, 2010.

Julie Brand, KCLS community relations and marketing director, said that with all the library construction across the county and dealings with other parties, it’s common to experience a snag or two.

But that’s in the past for Kenmore.

“We’re probably just as excited as the community is,” Brand said of the library’s opening. “It’s a fantastic library. It’s going to be a great asset and resource to the community.”

Due to the anticipated large number of attendees at the grand opening, the city of Kenmore will close a portion of Northeast 181st Street in front of the library from 9 a.m. to approximately 10:30 a.m. for the public’s safety, according to a press release. Businesses that are located directly west of the new library can be accessed from Northeast 181st Street east of 65th Avenue Northeast, but the street will be closed from the library entry to 67th Avenue Northeast.

The city encourages people attending the event to park at Kenmore Village and enter the parking lot from 68th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 181st Street. The city asks attendees to avoid using any parking reserved or normally used by the nearby businesses. The city will have staff available to direct traffic as necessary and appropriate signage to guide traffic movement.