Sid's Sand Creek Construction Blog

Amazing progress over the past 2 1/2 days

2009-02-21T12:26:00.000-08:00

By Friday morning the demolition was well underway.

On Saturday the front walls had already been opened up in preparation for the installation of the new windows on the reading room.

An inside view of the same wall.

Here is a photo of the entrance to the children's area so you can get an idea of nice the branch will be when it reopens.

Holds that came in since February 12th are at Holley

2009-02-17T16:50:00.000-08:00

Just to remind everyone that your holds are at Holly now unless you received a notification before February 12th. The few holds that are left at Sand Creek will expire tomorrow.

Thanks for your understanding on this hold situation. We knew this week would be difficult because you might end up with holds at both branches.

Temporary Closure Feb 19th- March 21st

2009-02-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

We are going to be closed so we can get out of our temporary area and our contractor can complete all of their work throughout the building.

After we close at 6pm on February 18th there will not be any services at the Sand Creek Branch.

During the closure any new holds that arrive will be available at the Ruth Holley Branch. You don't need to change the pickup location on your holds unless you want them to go someplace other than the Ruth Holley Branch.

The Ruth Holley Branch is on the northeast corner of Platte and Murray at the far east end of the old King Soopers building. They are closed on Sunday but otherwise have the same hours we had before construction began.

I apologize for the inconvenience but I am also sure it will be worth it when you see the new branch.

GRAND OPENING IS MARCH 21st

2009-01-22T15:06:00.000-08:00

The first day of HSD2 Spring Break will be the day of our grand opening. We are planning huge festivities including entertainment, refreshments, giveways and more.

We look forward to you joining in the celebration beginning at 10:00am.

Some new photos and a quick update

2009-01-15T07:22:00.000-08:00

There have been a lot of changes in the last 10 days or so. Window openings have been cut in the front and the back of the building, patio work has begun, a little painting was done so they could start hanging the suspended ceiling and they have run what seems like miles of cabling for the new technology.

This photo shows one of the openings for a new window on the teen area. This is how all of the windows will be constructed on the front of the building.

This next photo shows the radius wall on the outside of the children's area.

The blue wall in the last photo is where the interior bookdrops will be and the door is the entrance to the staff area. To the left of the blue wall is the area for the Friend's Book Sales. To the right of the blue wall will be the main service desk.

Hard Hat Tours on Friday, January 16th

2009-01-15T07:19:00.000-08:00

Join me for a close-up look at what has been done so far. Tours are at 9am and 10am. They will last approximately 45 minutes to an hour. Please call 597-7070 to sign-up.

Three new pictures

2008-12-11T16:14:00.000-08:00

Hint: Click on the photo to enlarge it.

This is standing with my back to the computer lab looking at the entrance to the meeting room. To the right is the hallway to the bathrooms.

This photo is taken with my back to the entrance lobby looking at the area where the main service desk will be placed. To the right of the pillar will be the public computers. The Express PCs will be placed near the pillar.

The bottom one is taken standing with my back to the cafe which is just to the left of the main entrance. The doorway opens into a study room and then there are a couple of openings in the wall that look like doorways. These are really windows that will go in that wall. Behind the wall is the Children's Area and the entrance is the very tall opening in the wall that you see over top of the silver table.

Let's get caught up!

2008-12-11T12:39:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry that it has been so long since this was updated and want to get you caught up on our progress so far:

1. We have about 95% of the interior walls framed and they will begin sheetrocking in the next week or so if the interior window frames arrive as expected.

2. The roof is almost finished except for the final layer of gravel and asphalt. The final layer will be done in a couple of weeks. The smell from the asphalt was so bad one day we decided not to open. Sorry about that, but it really was unbearable inside the building. After that day we took some steps to mitigate the fumes and we've been able to work through them.

3. The roof work needed before the installation of the new Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning units is beginning soon.

4. We found out we had to do a lot more work on the plumbing in the public bathrooms than expected. This involved a lot of trenching and all new plumbing rather than reusing most of the old stuff like we had planned.

5. Our RFPs for shelving and furniture are posted on the PPLD website and we are looking forward to getting those back so we can select a vendor.

6. One of the things that has amazed me during this remodel is the quantity of electrical work that is being done. We are rewiring the entire building and it is a huge job. We have miles of conduit and wiring running all through the building.

7. A next step is to install all of the cabling for the new technology we will be adding. Going from 16 public PCs and two Express stations to 25 public PCs, four Express stations, and four Teen PCs is significant but still doesn't include everything we have added. Additional computers are being installed in the children's area and for self-check.

So, that sums up where we are to date. I am going to take some new pictures and will post some in the next couple of days. Stay tuned.

Activity is brisk as we prepare to close

2008-09-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed some of the changes in the library already such as fewer books, displays being taken down and the bulletin boards being cleaned off.

Behind the scenes we have been cleaning out desk, closets, cabinets and every other nook and cranny we haved used for storage for the past ten years.

The electrician has been working hard this week to get everything ready for the move into the temporary space which will now open on Saturday, October4th from 2-6pm.

Our Facilities staff have been here everyday moving equipment and shelving into storage as well as helping prepare the temporary space.

While we are closed October 1-3 the building will be buzzing with Sand Creek, Information Technology and Facilities staff working side-by-side with the contractors to close our current space and open the temporary space. We are carefully choreographing the activities to be sure we are ready to open on Saturday, October 4th.

Important information regarding the remodeling

2008-09-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

The beginning of the remodeling is just around the corner and the excitement is building.

Let me give you some general timeline information:

September 30th @9pm we close the doors for remodeling.

October 4th @2pm we open a very small space in the area that will eventually be the quiet reading room. The services in this space will be limited to ten computers, new books, RapidReads, RapidViews, DVD, CDs and most importantly holds. The entrance to this space is about 60 feet south of the current entrance.

We will only be open for four hours a day in our temporary location:
Monday-Tuesday 4-8pm
Wednesday-Saturday 2-6pm
Sunday 1-5pm

While we are closed for a few days the staff has a tremendous amount of work to do. The remainder of the collection has to prepared for storage, all of the necessary furniture has to be moved into the temporary space, the remaing furniture has to be removed and years of the accumulated stuff in our offices has to be dealt with.

It's official! Remodeling begins October 1st

2008-08-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

After what seems like years of waiting our remodeling is just around the corner.

We will close on October 1st and expect to reopen in February 2009.

Please check back over the next few days for additional details.

Serena Software Fundraiser raises 0ver $700

2008-07-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

A great success! In just two hours they made just over $700 selling hotdogs and hamburgers in their parking lot.

The whole office was involved with support from their corporate headquarters.

Thank you very much to Serena Software for kicking off the fundraising and setting the bar high.

Upcoming Fundraiser

2008-06-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

Our first fundraiser since we began planning the remodeling will be held by Serena Software on June 25th from 11am-1pm. They are located at 1975 Research Parkway and the fundraiser will be held there.

A former colleague of mine, Pam Goodrich, from the Laramie County Library System in Cheyenne, WY resides in Colorado Springs and works at Serena. She suggested a fundraiser for the Sand Creek Branch as part of their effort to give back to the community.

They will be selling lunch in their parking lot so please come join us and really kick everything off in a big way!

Plans are starting to come together

2008-04-02T14:42:00.000-07:00

We have now had our third opportunity to sit down with the architects and review their plans. Much of the review process really boils down to what we really like and what we would like to do differently.

So far, some the exciting interior aspects of the plans include an enclosed quiet reading area, a separate space for teens, additional study rooms and an art display area for community artists in addition to other display areas for student art.

We have also expanded our plans to include more features outside the building. Currently we are planning on a drive-up bookdrop with a window where patrons can pick up their holds, patios on the front and rear of the building and a more distinctive crosswalk so drivers will be more inclined to slow down and respect pedestrians.

Welcome to the Sand Creek Branch Library Construction Blog

2008-03-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Sid Stanfill and I'm the Branch Manager at the Sand Creek Branch Library located at 1821 S. Academy Blvd in Colorado Springs. I will use this blog to keep people updated on the progress of the Sand Creek remodel which is scheduled to begin in 2008.

This much anticipated remodeling has been in the plans for some time now and will actually begin this year. The Pikes Peak Library District and the Foundation will provide over $2 million to make this branch a showcase and the new model of service for the District.

We have hired the award-winning architectural firm Humphries-Poli from Denver. They designed libraries in Grandby, Louisville, Pueblo, Dolores and Highlands Ranch just to mention a few locations. More of their work can be seen on their website http://www.hparch.com/. They have also conducted community and staff focus groups and gave a nice overview on Staff Day.

Staff members have visited several libraries in the Denver metro area to get some ideas and discuss what works and doesn't work in other locations. Some of our visits included libraries in Louisville, Castle Rock, Lone Tree, Arvada and Parker.

We also went to see the new 100,000 square foot library in Cheyenne, WY which is on the list of USA Today's destination libraries for 2008 and the Farmington, NM public library which is a striking 50,000 square foot building you should stop and see if you are in the neighborhood.

All of these visits have helped us visualize new opportunities at Sand Creek and generated discussions about how we make our branch an outstanding part of the community.