Public to Help Design Library
By: C.T. Kruckeberg - 05/24/2005

Area residents who use the Washington Public Library will have the opportunity to help design the new downtown library, next week.
      A Washington Public Library Foundation "design charrette" will be held June 2, 3 and 4. The event will allow members of the public to have an active hand in the design process, as the foundation's architects come up with a plan on-site, fielding input from foundation members, city officials and walk-in parties.
      "It will be a very concrete design," said library director Patrick Finney, "because we're going to be designing the building over that two and a half days. It's a pretty important step in the process."             By the end of the day, Saturday, June 4, OPN Architects of Cedar Rapids will have completed a new library design.
      Finney said the charrette is a popular way to solicit input from interested residents on civic projects, especially those expected to have a major impact on a community. Moving the public library to the square is believed to be one of the first steps in launching the renewal of downtown Washington.
     "The charrette is a process that other libraries and institutions have used," said Finney. "OPN has experience doing this type of designing process. it's very beneficial for designing public buildings because you want to see that the design meets the needs of the people who will use it.
     "It's such a high-profile piece of real estate and a big part of our identity."
     The event will be held at the new library site, 109 West Washington Street, on the south side of the square, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., June 2 and 3, and from 9 to 11 a.m. June 4. the OPN design team will kick off the process with a brief introduction June2, then open itself to the ideas of the public. Community members are encouraged to stop by during any one of the public sessions at the new library site to propose ideas, review planning options or lobby for particular points.
     A temporary design studio will be constructed for the event, form which will come several different design options over the course of the three days. Finney said the OPN team would present each option's pros and cons and offer them for public review.
     "Then people can start commenting." said Finney. "The decision makers will do their very best to listen and decide what the community's priorities really are."
     The library foundation will have the final say on a design, but will rely heavily on input form the city and its residents.
     "We want to be able to make a responsible, responsive and informed decision," said Finney.
     The library foundation bought the two buildings on the south side of the square in December for $308,000 in privately raised funds. It then deeded the buildings to the city for the purpose of relocating the library. The current Washington Public Library is located across for the community Y on East Main Street, and is considered by its staff and users to have met or surpassed its maximum materials capacity.
     A timeline for establishing the library downtown has not been set Finney said once a design is finalized, the foundation can determine a project budget, expected this summer. A fund-raising campaign will then be launched and grants applied for. The success of the fund raising and grant applications will play a large part in determining the remodeling timeline.
     The buildings that will become the new library are currently being used as a Marion Avenue Baptist Church annex and fitness club.
     An open house will be held at the buildings at 5 p.m. on tuesday, May 31, to familiarize the public with the building's current conditions.