Darrington Library to expand

Published 11:00 pm Thursday, January 17, 2008

DARRINGTON — The Darrington Library is preparing for its first major remodel in nearly 20 years.

Plans call for the library to grow in size by one-third, with a new meeting room, a teen area and more work space for staff members.

Library supporters have been considering the changes for years, but couldn’t afford them until receiving the right mix of grants, timber tax dollars and money from Sno-Isle Libraries, which runs the Darrington Library and 20 other libraries in Snohomish and Island counties. The project is expected to cost about $500,000.

“It’s a really big deal,” branch manager Linda McPherson said. “The town could never afford to add this on because money is tight. I mean really tight, and in a small community and in a small tax base, it takes a lot to raise taxes.”

The library will likely close for four months this summer while construction is under way, McPherson said. The expansion is expected to be complete in the fall.

During the interim, a bookmobile may visit Darrington several times a month, bringing books, DVDs and audiobooks to the community. Library staff are also exploring other ideas to keep the book-flow going while construction is under way.

The mountain town of 1,345 lacks a movie theater, a mall or a bookstore, so the community relies on the library more than most for Internet access and for a place to hang out and meet, Mayor Joyce Jones said.

The renovations should make the library better able to handle its many roles, she said. The teen book area will be expanded and teens will also get space to work on homework and chat after school.

“They had a lot of input from a lot of people, especially some of the younger users and some of the seniors,” Jones said. “I think it’s going to be very, very nice when they can see each other and be with each other, but their space is not in each others’ face.”

The meeting room will also be used for events, such as puppet shows and musicians, McPherson said. Currently, acts perform in the main library, sometimes getting in the way of people browsing for books or trying to connect to the Internet.

“It disrupts the whole library,” she said.

Reporter Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292 or kmanry@heraldnet.com.