We’re faced with two large challenges: having the physical capacity to serve the growth of the district’s service area that has occurred in the last 20 years and meeting the demand of the considerable projected growth. In short, we’re playing catch up in terms of having the physical infrastructure to serve a district of this size.
It was our desire to tackle both the short and long-term needs of the district — looking at individual challenges and the district’s needs as a whole. To do this, we reengaged the Long-Term Planning Committee in January 2020 to understand how to best approach this task, and in April 2021, the Board of Trustees approved A Plan for the Future, a short- and long-range facilities plan that begins to address the current needs of the district over the course of the next 10 years.
- Administrative Building
After the Library Board of Trustees approved the facilities plan, A Plan for the Future, in 2021, the library district's first short-term solution was to purchase and remodel an office building, located at 1194 West Ash Street in Windsor, which will serve as a central hub for administrative services staff in support of our growing library district. As such, the administrative services building provides the district’s support staff with more workspace and offices for the district’s director and management team. The building also provides areas for storage, processing, and preparing materials. With new office space for the administrative staff, more space is available at the library for patrons, which will also be important for the upcoming library renovations in 2023.
On August 13, 2021, the building was purchased and remodeled early in the fall of 2022. On October 10, the Technical Services Dept. (the staff who acquire and process materials for checkout) and the IT Department (the people who maintain the library’s computers and other electronic equipment), as well as the IT/Technical Services Manager, moved to the Ash St. building. The rest of the Administrative staff (the Director, the Public Services Manager, the Communications Specialist, the Office Manager, and the Financial/Human Resources Specialist) will be moving to the Administrative Services Center in November.
- Renovations to the Windsor-Severance Library
Almost 14 years have gone by since the Windsor-Severance Library was last renovated. The remodel of the library is expected to begin the week of January 9, 2023, and will take approximately six to eight weeks. The library will be closed for three weeks after construction begins while most of the disruptive work is completed, including tearing down walls, building walls, removing carpet, and moving collections and furniture.
Information on Programming and Services affected during the remodel:
- During those weeks, the bookmobile will be stationed in the parking lot of the library and will be available during certain periods of the day, weather permitting, to pick up holds, check out a limited selection of items, and obtain a library card.
- @clearviewlibrary will share Facebook and Instagram posts each day with our bookmobile hours. Our website clearviewlibrary.org will also display those hours daily in the alert banner.
- Curbside pickup will also be available from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m
- During the closure, many of our regular events and programs will either be relocated, held virtually, or temporarily postponed until the renovations are completed. Those details will be provided on the registration pages for each event.
- Notary Services will now be provided at the Administrative Hub. Call the library at 970-686-5603 to make an appointment.
The following services will not be available during the library closure:
- Physical access to collections
- Public computers
- Reserving/using any of the meeting rooms
- On-site programs and events
- In-person Ask-a-Tech appointments. Patrons may still ask IT Assistants questions online through our "Ask a Tech" form.
- Printing or Photocopying
- Quiet areas to work
Goals of the Remodel:
In 2019, the library's strategic planning process generated a lot of public feedback, including comments on improving the current library. After investigating all options presented during the strategic planning process, the Library Board adopted the facilities plan, A Plan for the Future, in 2021. The plan's short-term goals include library renovations.
What will change at the library?
- Carpeting will be replaced in all public areas.
- The entire library interior will be repainted.
- Current lighting will be replaced with LED lighting.
- The children’s area will have a new look with defined areas for small children and older children.
- A programming space will be created in the children’s area.
- In order to maximize space in the children’s area, the artificial tree will be removed and replaced with fun elements that can be enjoyed by new generations of children.
- A dedicated quiet space with a partial glass wall and a limited number of books will be created from the fireplace to the northeast wall.
- An additional meeting room will be created on the northeast side of the building.
- Additional study/collaboration spaces will be created.
- The teen area will be relocated to the north east side of the building.
- The entrance doors will be replaced with new, wider doors.
- The customer service desk will be relocated.
- Some adult collections will be moved.
- Computer workstations will move.
When was the library last remodeled?
The library was built in 1997 and remodeled in 2008/2009, 14 years ago. At that time, the square footage was increased to 17,500. A garage was added for the bookmobile, which began service in 2010.How is the remodel being funded?
The remodel is being funded with the library district’s reserve funds. The library district has been building the reserve funds for the past few years, knowing that as the district grows, better facilities will be needed to serve our constituents.What companies have been hired to work on the project?
Ratio Design is the architectural firm, Fransen Pittman is the construction manager, and Wember, Inc. is the library district’s owner’s representative. All firms were hired through an RFP (Request for Proposal) process.- Construction of a Library Branch in Severance
The third phase of the library district’s facilities plan is to build a branch library in the northern part of our district. On October 28, 2021, the Library Board approved a contract to purchase land from the Town of Severance to construct the northern library branch. Following that, the Town of Severance passed an ordinance authorizing the purchase of property for Clearview Library District on December 19, 2021.
On January 18, 2022, the library district purchased property to build a branch library next to the Town Hall in Severance. Members of the library board and administration, Ratio Design, Fransen Pittman, and the Town of Severance representatives worked together to develop building plans for the 10,000-square-foot facility.
In 2022, the library district organized two Town Hall meetings at Severance Town Hall, the first to gather community input and the second to present the new library branch's building plan and site plan. The district answered questions and worked toward the approval of the site plan by the end of 2022.
On May 9, 2023, the Severance Town Council unanimously approved the site plan for the library branch in the Town of Severance. Construction of the library branch commenced on May 22, 2023, with a Groundbreaking Ceremony. The Clearview Library District's new branch in Severance will offer state-of-the-art facilities, resources, and more programming opportunities for patrons.
The new library branch in Severance is expected to open in February 2024.How is the library in the northern part of the district being funded?
The bulk of the construction costs are being funded by a lease from Glacier Banks, which the library district obtained early in 2022 at a fixed rate of 2.09%. The remainder of the funding will come from the district’s reserve funds and a $500,000 grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. There will be no increase in the library district’s mill levy at this time.