The Finish Line Is Getting Closer

As we get closer to the finish date, there seems to be more happening. Since the last post -

The windows and corners for the amphitheatre have been finished
Carpet is laid in the tutoring center and the late night study
Floor covering is installed in archives
Cabinetry for the staff training room and work room has begun to arrive
Icky gold countertops are being replaced in the staff area with new tops
All sheetrock is up and painting is complete for the new rooms
Grid for ceilings are being installed in tutoring center, late night study, library classroom, and small group study rooms
Heating/cooling and electrical work continues, and continues, and continues...

Landscaping has begun between the library and Orendorff Hall. Benches and concrete have been poured. The door to Orendorff will now be a ramp, not steps and should be easier for those using wheelchairs. You can see where the plantings (trees, grass, and some bushes) will be - anywhere there isn't concrete.

Just a few more weeks and it will all be complete. We can hardly wait.

We can tell what the weather is doing!

Wow! Since last week, we have been able to see the outside world, including the weather, from our circulation desk. This is something that has never happened in this library. The new tinted glass windows in the amphitheatre are wonderful. Big Horn Basin Glass has completed the north wall and is currently working on the west wall.

Inside the building, there is much happening. The entire book collection (probably 35,000 volumes) is now located in the new addition at the southwest end. The moving company (Carney & McNichols) did a tremendous job relocating the shelving and books in just two days. The library staff is currently "reading the shelves" to make sure the books are where they are supposed to be, but it looks like the movers kept them in nearly perfect order. This company specializes in moving libraries and they are truly professionals. We would recommend them to another library needing such services in a heartbeat. It was a great relief to not move those books ourselves.

The new library classroom, archives, and group study room in the north part of the building are taking shape. Sheetrock is up so we can see what the space will look like.

Work continues on the less-exciting aspects of this job - heating/cooling system upgrades, computer networking, electricity, etc. We never know where the workers will need to be next. Each of us has been displaced from our offices/work spaces on any number of occasions, while someone works in our ceiling...

The concrete between the library and Orendorff Hall has been removed in anticipation for the landscaping work. This area will be a courtyard/walkway and should be a big improvement over the former site.

Rockin' and Rollin'

As our construction manager said last week, we are "rockin' and rollin'." With the end of the semester, Groathouse and all the subcontractors have kicked the renovation into high gear.

While we were closed between graduation and the beginning of summer school, several things happened:

1. Lights from the older part of second floor were moved to the new second floor addition.
2. The amphitheatre ceiling and walls were reinforced to accommodate the weight of the second floor and the wind stress with new glass windows.
3. Second floor, including the new tutoring center, was painted.
4. The Kalwall on the north amphitheatre wall was removed. Framing for the new glass wall was installed.
5. Second floor public area was carpeted.
6. Many behind-the-scenes projects were completed.

This week, glass is being installed in the amphitheatre wall. Once this is done, we will be able to see the outside from the circulation desk for the first time in history.

In addition, a professional library moving company is moving the entire book and government documents collections from the existing building to the new addition. They have very large book carts that hold lots of books and keep them in good order. Once they unload a range of books, they slide the range on teflon pads to the new location. Then, they reconfigure the book shelving to the right size and reload the shelves. Sounds like a lot of work and it is. With five people working, they are moving fast, however.

The main floor of the library is open for students to use, but the second floor is currently off-limits because so much work is happening up there. If someone needs an item from the second floor, one of the library staff members will retrieve it for them.

Susan

Second Floor is Visible

The entire second floor addition is now visible from the outside. The steel is up and workers are hurrying to get it under cover. Window openings are appearing. It won't be long until we can see the size of the finished building.

We had a bit of rain/snow overnight and today that made working a bit tricky. Water seeped into the floor near the circulation desk and in the men's restroom. Nothing to worry about, however.

While the outline of the second story is being constructed, other crews are putting up sheetrock in the late night study area (first floor) and the tutoring center (second floor). The plan is to get the addition finished by mid-May so that the collection can be moved from the north side of the older building into that space. Then, construction can begin on the library lab and archives space.

We had to move study tables and WYLD computers on the second floor so that the connection between the existing building and the new building can be made. This entails knocking out windows and walls from the south wall of the existing building, so that may be noisy. There is a safety wall going up, so we won't actually be able to see this demolition, but we will hear it.

Changes on the Inside

Last week, construction crews "popped out" the windows that used to give us a view of the greenhouse space on the first floor. They sawed around the window frame to loosen the window. Then, two strong workers took the window out. This happened VERY FAST. After that, a masonry crew laid cement block in each of the openings. Using block and grout from the same company that supplied it in 1983, the match with the older block is pretty close. It looks great, but it does mean that we no longer have any natural light coming in the south wall of the building. This is only temporary, however, as there will be light coming in through windows in the study area being built in the former greenhouse space. We just cannot see this yet.

Friday, March 12, the library closed early (again) because the electrical crews had to relocate power and heating conduit from the first floor office area. This was necessary so that the roof to that space (southwest corner of the building) can be removed. It should come off this week and then crews will place structural steel for the second floor. Watch for these changes.

Susan

The Demolition Continues

Well, it has been a while since our last post. We have been scrambling to keep the library operating (you know, helping students, providing library materials - all that important stuff), while at the same time packing to move. As of last Friday (Feb. 26) we relocated all of technical services, including office space for three librarians and our storage area. What a HUGE job that was. But, we made it. For the past few days we have been trying to find several things that have been packed who-knows-where???

While this has been happening, the renovation continues. You can see the second floor at the east end of the addition and now the second floor of the central part of the addition is taking shape. Notice that the ceiling will be the same beautiful wood we currently have.

Crews have been working on the interior of the addition. Archways and doors have been cut through from the existing building to the new building and there are some interior walls rising in the new space. We cannot see much of this because our window view from inside the library has disappeared. The communications and English faculty have a ringside seat now, including all the noise and fumes. See more photos on our Flickr link.

The demolition crews arrived on Monday, March 1 and immediately gutted the technical services space we vacated the previous Friday. Walls came down, ceiling was removed and they are now cutting holes in order to place the steel to support the second floor. It is so loud that we can hardly stand it at times. We have brought out the earplugs again and students are using them.

This Friday (March 5) we will close at noon so that computer services can relocate half of the library building's computer connections. Unfortunately, these connections are in the part that must be demolished. This involves cutting all the connections, relocating the fiber optic cable, switches and rack. Then, every connection must be reconnected AND tested. Alan says there are about 35 connections to relocate. WOW! What a lot of work. We do appreciate it.

Susan

Can you see the progress?

Appearances indicate that workers are making great progress on the library project. Exterior walls keep rising - at this point the second floor walls are almost complete on the southeast corner of the building. And, they have begun some work on the inside of the existing building. Yesterday they took out another exterior window. This is an amazing feat to watch as they "pop" out the old window (8 feet wide by nearly 5 feet high) and replace it with a plywood barrier. No broken glass, no mess, but a bit heart-stopping. They also began building a barrier wall on the inside of the second floor. This will protect library users as the workers remove cement blocks to create the openings for the storage room and tutoring center. Sadly, the wall will block our "bird's eye view" of the construction.

We Have Floors (at least one)

Lots has been happening in the past two weeks. The mechanical room (on the east side of the project) has been sealed again. The roof was off for a scary couple of weeks, as the snow fell and the wind blew. With plenty of plastic sheeting and a really dedicated crew, the snow did not cause any damage. The structural steel was placed and last week, the concrete slab for the floor/ceiling was poured. After that, the crews erected more scaffolding and they are raising the walls for the new second floor above the mechanical room. And, happily, the mechanical room (the heart of the building) is under cover again.

At the same time, they have been placing steel beams for the floor/ceiling in the center part of the addition (formerly the greenhouse). By the end of this week, they hope to pour the concrete slab so that this section will also have a ceiling. Then, the second floor masonry work will proceed there, as well.

We had a slight inconvenience on Monday, when some electrical work unexpectedly took out the power for part of the computer lab and our two public printers. It was a shock to everyone. We rerouted the students to another lab on campus for printing and the electricians got power back on in a matter of minutes.

Pictures on Flickr show how fast the exterior walls are moving. They also show the huge amount of structural steel the building needs. When we are putting our entire book collection in the new second floor, we don't want the building to "fall down," so we are happy to see so much steel. It is amazing how heavy books on shelves are!

The Wall Is Going Up

It is a bit hard to tell because most work is behind plastic, but the masonry crew is laying block for the south wall of the addition. In addition, there is no longer a roof on the mechanical room and former classroom area. Let's hope we don't get a big snow storm until they get that under cover again.

Yes, there was an electrical outage yesterday (January 18), but, NO, it was not caused by the library construction. It was a planned outage so that PPS could replace the transformer that keeps electric flowing to most of the campus buildings. You can probably blame the library renovation on many things (smells, sounds, longer walks, etc.) but not this time.

Be sure to check out the new photos on Flickr. You can get a better look at what is happening.

Susan

Concrete and More Demo

Today, Groathouse laid a concrete slab for the new addition. It was pretty hard to see because they had to do it in a plastic tent to protect the concrete from the cold. There is a concrete slab under there, however. Seeing the rebar laid out took me back to one of my pre-library jobs as a reinforcing bar detailer.

At the same time, our friends from Brisco are back and taking off the roof (membrane and insulation) of the existing mechanical room on the east side of the building. This is tricky because they are working above all the electrical, heating/cooling, and water units for our building. One false move ... However, these guys are REALLY good, so we don't expect it to be smoky, dusty, cold, or wet. After they complete this delicate work, things will look more interesting, at least from the exterior.

Word from the site superintendent is that the erector company will arrive later this week and begin to place the structural steel for the columns, beams, and decking. This will show us how big the new building will look. Be sure to wander by the site late in the week or on the weekend and check it out.

Susan

New Addition Emerges - Slowly

During the last two weeks of 2009, electricians and plumbers have been working inside the existing library to relocate many wires and pipes so that work on the new addition can begin. This work has meant that we have been without lights, computers, and heat (although they provided supplementary heat so the pipes wouldn't freeze), as well as water for some parts of many days. We have water back, but there are still some areas that do not have electricity. Right now, we don't have any Mac computers available for use because the electrical plugs needed are not live. By the end of this week, all that should be behind us (we hope!)

Outside to the south, crews have been working to do site preparation so that they can begin laying concrete for piers, footings, and slabs. Once they have clearance to lay concrete, they will. Then we can say the new building has truly begun.

Stay tuned early next week because the roof on the mechanical room (east) may be taken off. It the weather does not get as cold and snowy as predicted, Brisco will be back to remove this roof. Then, as structural steel is moved into place, we should be able to see the building's new outline.

Susan

Work Moves Inside

Just about the time the weather warms up, workmen (I haven't seen any women on this project, except for our lead architect, Karen) move inside.

This week and next, they are relocating several electrical conduits that are too low for the new space. In order to do this, they must turn off electricity to various parts of the existing building. Good thing we are closed! Library staff has been able to work around the electrical outages and the workers continue to be very considerate in keeping us informed as to what they are doing.

With the holidays, they will have some short weeks, but work will continue. By January 4, the BIG electrical outages should be behind us. We will have a few small areas where power will be out for a few hours, but that shouldn't inconvenience anyone too much.

We may also see concrete work beginning on the footings for the new building. Let's hope the weather stays nice.

Susan