Boise Public Library’s downtown branch is gearing up for a weeklong closure next month as it begins renovating its first floor.
Once completed, Boise Public Library Director Jessica Dorr said the downtown branch’s entrance and the rest of the first floor will be much more modern and inviting for visitors.
“We are having windows and lights and making flexible spaces, play areas for kids and really trying to make this a space where when you come in you feel that you’re part of the Boise library community,” Dorr said.
In addition to the cosmetic upgrades, she said a lot of the infrastructure will be getting makeovers, too.
“We’re upgrading the electrical, the plumbing, the heating and cooling systems. We’re adding a family restroom in our youth services area and we’re making changes so that we’re compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
The downtown branch will close entirely to the public between Sept. 1 and Sept. 7 as work begins to shuttle the first floor services upstairs.
Once it reopens, the children’s section and youth services will move to the library’s third floor while construction continues, which is expected to take nine to 12 months.
Visitors will be able to use stairs or a secondary elevator that’s not currently open to the public to access the library branch’s upper floors from the main entrance.
You can find more information about the construction project here.
Boise Public Library's Board of Trustees voted Friday to receive nearly $1.2 million from the Friends of Boise Public Library to put toward the project. With that extra funding, the project is budgeted at about $7.3 million. It still needs approval from Boise City Council to expend those funds.
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