Library future goes before public Feb. 15
Ideas sought for interior redesign to occur with preservation project
Ideas will be welcomed at two meetings Tuesday, Feb. 15 on how the Old Colorado City Branch Library should look inside as
part of its preservation project.
The first meeting will be at 8:30 a.m., and the second meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. at the library, 2418 W. Pikes Peak Ave. The library has hired Gifford, Spurck & Associates of Denver as its architect. “We're trying to get community input on what the main-floor redesign is about,” Branch Manager Julianne Rist told the Westside Pioneer. “Obviously, we will have areas for children, books and magazines, but this is a chance for everyone to come in and tell us what they'd like to see or what parts should be saved, like the woodwork or the antique tables and chairs… We'd like to know what is most important to them, because we only have so many square feet.” The work would be part of Phase 2 of the preservation. Phase 1, involving windows, doors and steps, is slated to get underway this spring. (See story above.) One of the interior ideas library officials are already exploring is making space in the basement for a larger meeting room. This in turn would free up space on the main floor, which is used nowadays for special programs and larger gatherings, Rist pointed out. More space could be found in the basement as a result of another Phase 2 item: replacing the antiquated heating and cooling units and related ductwork. Their modern replacements are smaller as well as more efficient, Rist said. Including the space taken up by these systems, the basement has 1,900 square feet. The main floor has 3,000. The one catch about designating the basement for meetings is that it would have to be made ADA-accessible - meaning people in wheelchairs would have to be able to get to it, she said. This would probably mean the addition of an elevator. Rist did not have recent cost estimates for such a project, but said that because of building-related logistical issues it would still be cheaper than a chairlift. Westside Pioneer article |