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Federal Way: Monthly Update Archives

June 2010
The expanded and renovated Federal Way Library reopened to the community on Saturday, June 5. More than 600 people gathered to celebrate with a ribbon-cutting and open house. 

May 2010
The newly expanded and renovated Federal Way Library will reopen Saturday, June 5, 10am, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house. Once the doors open, community members are invited to tour the facility and enjoy refreshments and an entertaining family program by Brothers from Different Mothers.

April 2010
Construction of the expanded Federal Way Library is nearing completion and the Library is scheduled to reopen with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house on Saturday, June 5, 10am. Once the doors open, community members are invited to tour the facility and enjoy refreshments and an afternoon of musical programs and activities.

March 2010
Construction is nearing completion. Once construction is completed, staff will begin preparing the interior of the library for the reopening. The expanded and renovated library will reopen to the public with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house on Saturday, June 5, 10am. Once the doors open, community members are invited to tour the facility and enjoy refreshments and an afternoon of musical programs and activities.

February 2010
Construction is still underway, with an anticipated completion date of March 2010. Once construction is completed, staff will begin setting-up the interior of the library in preparation for the opening. A date for the opening celebration will soon be announced.

January 2010
Roof work was completed as well as enhancements to the public restrooms and glass installation. Interior work is now under way in the newly expanded section of the building. Construction continues to be on schedule, with an anticipated completion date of March 2010. Once construction is complete, library staff will begin preparing the interior for the reopening. A specific date for the opening will be identified within the next month.

December 2009
Construction continues and the project is on schedule, with an anticipated completion date of March 2010. Roof work and exterior revisions to the entryway are in progress. The replacement of the HVAC units has been completed.

November 2009
Construction on the expanded library continues, with an anticipated completion date of March 2010.
The replacement of the HVAC units was completed and work is currently under way on the roof. Exterior enhancements to the entryway also are in progress and new flooring will soon be installed in the public restrooms.

October 2009
Construction on the expanded Federal Way Library continues. The project continues to be on schedule, with an anticipated completion date of March 2010.

September 2009
Construction continues, with an anticipated completion date of March 2010. The replacement of HVAC units is in progress and replacement of the floors and partitions in the public restrooms will begin in November.

August 2009
Construction continues and the Library will be closed until the first quarter of 2010. Steel frame installation and re-roofing are now in progress.

July 2009
Construction work is progressing on schedule and the new foundation was recently completed. The steel frames and columns will be set in place this month.

June 2009
Construction work is on schedule and the Library will be closed until the first quarter of 2010.

May 2009
Construction is currently under way. The Library will be closed until the first quarter of 2010. The temporary site in the Federal Way Commons mall is being used by many library patrons, but the temporary site at Panther Lake Elementary will close on June 18 due to low usage.

April 2009
Demolition work has begun on the main building in preparation for the expansion of the library. The Library is anticipated to be closed until the first quarter of 2010.

March 2009
The library closed beginning Monday, March 16, for the start of the library expansion work. The library will be closed until the first quarter of 2010. Temporary services are available at The Commons @ Federal Way and Panther Lake Elementary School.

February 2009
Construction is anticipated to begin in late March 2009. Construction bids were received January 28 and Kirtley Cole was the low bidder on the project. KCLS staff is now working through contract negotiations. Details about temporary services will soon be available.

January 2009
The project is in for permitting, with bids due in early February. The anticipated construction start date is February 2009.

December 2008
The project is in for permitting and the project will go out for bid in late December, with bids due in mid-January. The anticipated construction start date is February 2009. 

November 2008
The permitting process is nearing completion and construction is anticipated to start in January 2009. 

October 2008
The final steps in the permitting process are under way and the expansion project is anticipated to start in January 2009.

September 2008
The permitting process is nearing completion and the School District is completing the paperwork necessary for an agreement to access the new school building via KCLS property. Construction drawings are being prepared and the project will go out to bid in October. The Federal Way Commons and Panther Lake Elementary are secured as temporary library locations during construction.

August 2008
KCLS and Mithun consultants continue to develop site plans in coordination with the Federal Way School District, which will be constructing a new Panther Lake Elementary School near the boundary between the school and the Regional Library. Mithun Architects recently submitted the site development and building permits for City staff review.

July 2008
KCLS and the consultant team are working with the City of Federal Way planning department to review the site development plans. An agreement between KCLS and the Federal Way School District regarding access to the new school building via KCLS property is still being discussed. The school district has been refining their project plans and KCLS expects to hear from them soon regarding an access easement, which is anticipated to enhance both districts’ plans. Temporary service plans are currently underway in preparation for the eventual start of construction.

June 2008
Work continues to progress on the design plans for the Library expansion and renovation project. Interior details and furniture are in the final stages of development. KCLS and the Federal Way School District are working on an agreement regarding access to the new school building via KCLS property. The agreement is anticipated to be beneficial to both the library and school district.  

May 2008
KCLS is partnering with the Federal Way School District to construct a road between the Library and Panther Lake Elementary School. The two entities also plan to collaborate on water retention issues associated with the project. As part of the design process for the expansion of the Federal Way Regional Library, KCLS held an open house for teens on May 8 to gather input on what they would like to see in the new teen space. KCLS’ designer from Mithun Architects came prepared with images of possible furniture and samples of various fabrics and other finishes. The two-hour event was a great success with nearly 60 teens participating.

April 2008
Design development plans were completed and cost estimates indicate that the project is within budget. The consultants held a pre-application meeting with the Federal Way Building and Community Planning staff to discuss the construction documents and address any regulatory issues.

March 2008
The designs and interior plans for the expanded Library have progressed. The consultant team, led by Mithun Architects, is anticipated to complete design development in March. KCLS staff at the Federal Way libraries is starting to prepare the Federal Way Regional Library to close during the expansion. The closure is anticipated to start in the fall of 2008 and last for nine to twelve months. KCLS plans to deploy cluster staff to the 320th Library, Panther Lake Elementary School Library (evenings and weekends) and a retail location in the Federal Way Commons as well as program sites around the community. Staff is sending books with local importance to the 320th Library so that they will continue to be available to the public. KCLS staff also is developing operations plans for the 320th Library so that it can support more computer users and a higher level of business during the closure of the other library.

February 2008
Mithun Architects presented plans for the expansion and renovation of the library to the Federal Way community and KCLS Board of Trustees during a public meeting at the end of January. The plans include more than 9,000 square feet of new space at the existing 25,000 square foot Library. Design drawings will be finished by the end of May 2008. Providing a temporary site during construction continues to be evaluated. KCLS is looking into a few potential locations proposed by the School District and the City of Federal Way.

January 2008
Mithun Architects is nearing completion of the schematic design plans for the expansion and renovation of the Federal Way Regional Library. The plans will be presented to community members at a public meeting on January 31. To discuss the probability of providing services during the construction process, KCLS staff met with the Federal Way School Superintendent and the Federal Way City Manager. Each offered a possible site that could be used for library services during construction. KCLS staff is now evaluating the feasibility of offering services at either location. 

December 2007
The consultant team continues to work on two different design concepts for the library expansion project. Preliminary cost studies are underway to ensure that both plans are feasible with the funding available for the project. To prepare for any temporary library closures once construction is underway, KCLS staff is currently exploring options for service locations, in addition to the Federal Way 320th Library.

November 2007
The consultant team is still considering two different design concepts for the library expansion. Preliminary cost studies are underway to ensure that both plans are feasible based on available funding for the project. KCLS is following up on leads for a prospective temporary location for service while the library is closed.

October 2007
Mithun Architects was selected to be the library architect. They will be designing the expansion of up to 10,000 sq ft and planning for the renovation of the existing building. A community meeting was held to discuss the alternatives for the design work. This occurred at the Federal Way Regional Library on October 29, 2007.

September 2007
The project plan and budget is being finalized in order for the work to proceed as rapidly as possible.  The public meeting on October 29 is an opportunity for community members to offer input about the design of the new facility.

August 2007
Mithun Architects was hired to plan the library expansion by a panel that included the Friends President, a member of the Federal Way City Council and Board Member Jessica Bonebright. Mithun did a very thorough and creative job of demonstrating how the unique exterior of the building could be brought to bear on the inside of the building while creating more of a presence on the major street that runs in front of this very busy library.

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