Work Starts on Soda Library "Refresh"
Front: Becky Peterson (Friends Liaison), Victoria Smith (librarian), Telisha Hayes (librarian), Dorajo Messerly (Children's librarian) Back: Drew Erickson (contractor), Grey Cheirrett, Beth Cheirrett (Friends President), Paul Gritton (Mayor & Presenting Sponsor), Dan Squires (Director of City Services, Paige Byram (City Council Member), And the Kunz kids representing Soda Smiles.
The Friends of the Soda Springs Library spoke with the city council earlier in the month about a project that has been brewing for a little while. Here at the end of the month, that project is well underway. The broad outline of the project is a “refresh” for the upper floor of the building, which is the most heavily used, according to library staff.
“One of the things people have asked about most is some sort of quiet study and test taking area. We’ve also had people looking for a conference or meeting room,” Library Director Hope Hansen said. The library’s current open floor plan on the top floor makes using it for a quiet room largely unfeasible. The refresh will wall off a portion of the upper floor, and soundproof it so that it can serve some of those functions.
The project is conceived of in four phases, with phases one and two being started this week, once the city had been informed and agreed to provide assistance if and as needed.
Plans for what the completed first two phases will look like are in the library foyer.
Phase one is the acquisition of new, sturdier furniture for the upstairs area, which is being sought while Phase two begins. Phase two involves the aforementioned meeting room space remodel.
The bulk of the project is being funded with Friends of the Library funds, which are separate from city funds used for the library. The Friends are the 501c3 fundraising entity established to support the library. The largest fundraiser of the year is the Festival of Trees, which was held at the Enders Hotel this past Christmas season, and raised enough money to initiate this project. The “kickoff sponsors” for the project, by virtue of the Festival of Trees contributions are Grittons, Soda Smiles, Lookout Credit Union, and Caribou Medical Center.
Drew Erickson was selected as the contractor (Woodeye Industries) for the project, and was on scene early this week to begin the work, lining out the eventual wall areas, removing fixtures, and prepping to the work to come over the next few weeks.
President of the Friends of the Library Beth Cheirrett stated that “we would like to make sure everyone knows that anyone who has supported events such as the Festival of Trees over the last couple years has made this happen!”
She also notes that “other parts of the library have received ‘love’ - obviously, the addition of the children's room 10-ish years ago was the first. New bookshelves were placed on the main floor years ago. The Friends paid for the remodel of the kitchen in the downstairs a few years ago, so it's the upper floor's turn!”
Anyone is interested in contributing financially to the project can mail donations to: Friends of the Soda Springs Library, c/o Beth Cheirrett; 149 S. Main St. Soda Springs, ID 83276. Cash and venmo are also accepted.
