Exterior work on new library expected to wrap up by Jan. 31

Construction activity is in full swing on Vancouver’s $38 million public library on the southeast corner of C Street and Evergreen Boulevard in the downtown core.

The exterior work is on track to finish up Jan. 31, according to Lloyd Stoller, project manager from Howard S. Wright Constructors, general contractor. Stoller estimated that some 60 to 65 laborers are now reporting to construction jobs on the five-level project, work that is now focused on the building’s outer finishes, such as glass, roofing and precast concrete panels.

Once the exterior work is completed, the interior of the new library will be outfitted with fixtures, furniture and equipment, said Sue Vanlaanen, communications director for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District.

Officials expect the library to open in June 2011 to replace the longtime main branch at 1007 E. Mill Plain Blvd., a city-owned site the district would like to continue using for administrative offices.

At the new library, a C Street entrance will open up to checkout counters and information desks. That main floor also will house library materials for teens, a computer classroom and a large public meeting room. The building’s second floor will be a work area for library staff.

A children’s area and an early learning center will take up the bulk of the third floor, while the fourth floor will house non-fiction and international language materials. Fictional books and materials will be displayed on the library’s fifth floor, which will include a reading room with a fireplace and an outdoor terrace atop the building’s south-side atrium.