East Bend Library Construction

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The new East Bend library is located in Borden’s Corner, 62080 Dean Swift Road. The library is housed in approximately 8,000 square feet of retail space. Construction began in December 2010 and the library opened on March 22, 2011.

Timeline
October	City Permit Approval Process (2-6 weeks)
November	Hire Construction Firm
December	Construction Starts
March 2011	Library Opens

Hours Effective March 22, 2011
Sunday	Closed
Monday	Closed
Tuesday	9:00 - 6:00
Wednesday	9:00 - 6:00
Thursday	9:00 - 8:00
Friday	9:00 - 6:00
Saturday	9:00 - 5:00

The East Bend Library layout was designed by Jim Landin, BRLB/GGL Architects of Bend. Our goal was to create as much flexibility as possible so the library can adjust easily to varying demands. Most of the seating and shelving will be on wheels or along the walls. Public PCs will be primarily laptops so seating can be flexible and not strictly dedicated. The library is divided into three main areas: meeting room, children’s room, and adult/teen area. The meeting room will be available to the public and will seat 60-80.

The Library District has awarded the construction contract to SunWest Builders of Bend. SunWest hopes to start construction the first week of December and complete the project in 70 calendar days.

The Deschutes Public Library has seen phenomenal growth during the last 10 years. In a study prepared three years ago by Civic Technologies, it became very clear that a significant population in East Bend was underserved. In other words, a population center of over 40,000 had less access to a library than any of our other communities. Furthermore, the Bend Library has seen double digit percentage increases in attendance and circulation far out pacing the other Libraries in the district. Instead of investing more money into the current Bend building to accommodate increased demand, the Library District Board believes a second Bend location is needed to alleviate the overload and improve services to East Bend residents.

Public Libraries in retail and commercial spaces is a trend that is gaining momentum across the country. Leased spaces are a less expensive option in a tight economy and support local businesses by providing a tried and true anchor. The Borden’s Corner site was selected based on site criteria that included visibility, capacity, accessibility and local demographics. Borden’s Corner was our top choice.

The services in the new library will focus on our more popular collections and services. Those services will include internet, story times, meeting room space, children’s area, holds pick-up and books, music and movies. Public forums, usage statistics, surveys, emails, suggestion forms, and word-of-mouth comments have made it clear what people most enjoy about our libraries. Our new library will have limited space but we will provide many of the features that have made the Downtown Bend Library so successful.

The East Bend Public Library will NOT require additional funding. The library has been fiscally conservative and has set reserves aside for development. We are not going to the voters for more money. Reserve funds will pay for development of the site and we are tightening our budget and implementing efficiencies to pay for operations.

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