K.O. Lee Aberdeen Public Library opens today (2024)

Monday is a big day for book lovers.

The K.O. Lee Aberdeen Public Library will finally open.

The 29,400-square-foot library features separate spaces for youth, adult and children's books; a genealogy space for historic information; meeting and small group rooms; lots of computers; and The A Place, a space designed to accommodate increased diversity in Aberdeen.

The A Place was created with a $35,000 grant from the Knight Foundation. Library Director Shirley Arment said there will be a computer with software that's able to help with language translations. There will also brochures printed in different languages.

A journey toward a new library has taken decades, with earliest discussion noted as far back as 1989. Significant talks started following flooding in 2007. But even before that, the city worked to clear asbestos from the building.

A site study was finished in 2008, followed by the purchase of land in 2011 and a needs assessments to determine the appropriate size of a replacement facility.

The land at 215 Fourth Ave. S.E. was bought with a combination of funds from the city of Aberdeen and the Alexander Mitchell Library Foundation. They split the $700,000 cost.

The foundation's contribution came with a hitch — start building by July 1, 2016, or the donation would be refunded with interest. At the time, it was uncertain when a new library would be built. But the city's direction became clearer in 2015 with the completion of the needs analysis and the hiring of an architect.

City councilors approved a funding package for the library in September 2015. But there proved to be one last hurdle — a public vote, triggered by referendum petitions filed by an opposition group.

Following a contentious campaign, Aberdeen voters approved the plan in December 2015, with 60 percent in favor.

That vote approved a $7.7 in million financing plan for the $8 million facility. It included partial funding from the Alexander Mitchell Library Foundation, some of which had already been given to the city.

The foundation pledged $2.1 million, with the balance of the cost paid for by the city. The financing plan included $1.5 million in bonds that would be paid through contributions from the foundation.

Foundation President Troy McQuillen said the hefty pledge was made when city officials started talking about reducing the cost of the library. The foundation made the commitment so the library could be what the community needed, he said.

"My initial hope was that we would make it a little bigger," McQuillen said.

Having toured the library earlier this month, he said he feels both accomplished and proud of the finished product.

"It's going to be an inspiring space," he said.

The foundation's capital campaign finished earlier this summer with a $900,000 donation from Karl O. Lee. The contribution earned him naming rights.

McQuillen said that between cash and in-kind donations, the foundation exceeded its $2.1 million goal.

One of those in-kind donations was from Northern Valley Communications. The company donated a Gigabit WiFi network to the library. According to a news release from NVC, the company decided to donate the equipment in lieu of cash.

"Technology, reading and research all go hand in hand. We firmly believe a community that has access to these things is a community of growth," said CEO James Groft.

City Manager Lynn Lander said it took a while to get to the point at which library construction could begin. He had to wait until all the financing was available. Instead of adding to the city's debt, he waited until the city's final $250,000 payment was made to the Aberdeen Family YMCA, the tail end of a pledge made years ago.

They city will make annual bond payments for 20 years. The payment in 2018 is $323,843.

"When you look at all the things that have happened the last few years, they've been an investment in the community. If you don't have those facilities, it's hard to meet the needs of the community," Lander said.

Some of the upgrades have included:

• A new public safety building.

• A new aquatic center.

• Updated fire stations.

• Remodeling at the Aberdeen Recreation and Cultural Center and the Municipal Building.

• Contributions to the Aberdeen Family YMCA and Swisher Field.

Mayor Mike Levsen said after his election in 2004 there was discussion about a new library as well as improving other city facilities.

"We had so many older buildings we felt were unserviceable for the function they were providing," Levsen said. "We had to take care of one at a time."

Now that the library is finished, Levsen said, he's eager to see it in use.

"It's something for the community that is obviously going to be a great asset," he said. "When this process started it was my contention that we shouldn't do just enough. ... If we're going to make this investment and effort we need to make it special, and I think we've done that."

Tom Hurlbert, principal architect for Co-Op Architecture, said sometimes it can be tough walking through a completed building because he always notes little things he wishes were different. That has not been the case with the new library, he said.

"I'm very proud of our role and the final outcome, but it's definitely a team effort," he said in an email.

Co-Op Architecture worked with MSR to design the library. In describing the design, Hurlbert said he took inspiration from the train depots that were a part of Aberdeen's past and combined that with contemporary design elements.

Arment said it's both nerve-wracking and exciting to be setting up a new library.

Less than a week before the library opened, she said furniture deliveries were still arriving and the city's information technology department was busy setting up computers since the desks for the computers arrived two weeks later than expected.

"Everything has to come together this week," Arment said Monday.

That includes having all the books patrons have placed on hold available for checkout starting Monday. That can be done with self-checkout terminals. There's even a setting in the software that prevents someone from checking out a book that's on hold.

Some people who worked hard for a new library aren't around to see the finished building, Arment said. They include Tom Guhin, who served on the library board; Pauline Lloyd-Davies, who volunteered for the library and created the obituary database; and former library Director Pam Lingor, who died in 2008.

Guhin and Lloyd-Davies both died in July. Arment said Guhin toured the library while it was under construction.

"They both would have been delighted," Arment said.

Looking around the library, she said she can't just pick just one feature as a favorite.

"All of it is exciting," Arment said.

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