NCW Libraries to reimagine Bridgeport branch, seeks community input

BRIDGEPORT—NCW Libraries has launched a project to reimage spaces throughout its five-county network of branches, which has been in development for half a decade. This month, a design team will meet with community members for user input and ideas.

Tim Dillman, Assistant Director of Community Libraries, addressed the city council's September meeting to explain what the project will mean for the Bridgeport branch and the community.

“We have been laying the groundwork for the past four years,” said Dillman. “This is part of a larger system-wide project that NCW Libraries is doing across our system.”

That process involved a 2019 facilities condition assessment and budget estimates of needed repairs. Paying for those upgrades was a major consideration.

“For most of the cities in our service area, that’s a tall order,” said Dillman. “Budgets are tight.”

In 2021 the library administration proposed to the board of trustees that unallocated funds that had been set aside should be applied to a major upgrade project.

“We proposed that the best use of those funds was to invest in these spaces,” said Dillman, “and find a way to, in essence, gift these cities with upgrading these spaces.”

The board approved a $10.3 million project across 30 branches that will take 4-5 years to complete.

“Brewster was our initial pilot project,” said Dillman. “The city had already invested some money in their space and was excited to see us invest more money.”

The Brewster upgrade took longer than expected but that came with its own benefits.

“It was a great opportunity for us to tweak the process,” said Dillman. “Now we feel like we have a streamlined process for how to go about the other branches.”

The Peshastin branch project started with community engagement about a year ago, said Dillman.

“We went all the way through the design process,” said Dillman. “Closed the branch, and we just reopened the Peshastin library.”

The project timeline since 2019:

• 2019 – NCW Libraries Strategic Plan identifies enhancing user experience as a core goal.
• 2020 – Facility condition assessments establish a baseline for building needs and opportunities across the library district.
• 2021—The Board of Trustees approves $10.3 million for user experience enhancements, with the bulk of the money invested in updated library interior spaces.
• 2022- Project gets underway with stakeholder conversations and a prototype project in Brewster.
• 2023 – The design team was brought on board. Brewster project completed.

Goals:

• Make a visible and impactful investment in library service to NCW communities.

In Bridgeport’s case, the project budget is $129,489. The city will not require additional investment, and design fees will be paid out of a separate budget.

• Follow an engaging, community-centric concept design process that will build and strengthen community partnerships and increase local library usership. 

Unlike other approaches that incorporate the same design elements, furnishings, and related components in each site, NCW’s community-centric model involves users’ input.

“We really recognize that our libraries have a local culture, a local history, and a local connection,” said Dillman.

Bridgeport’s community engagement day with the design team is Oct. 23. The library’s new look may include:

→ New furniture

→ New interior and exterior signage

→ Partial flooring upgrades

→ New paint

→ Shelving upgrades

→ Possible lighting upgrades

→ Possible minimal floor plan upgrades. This may feature partitioning for staff privacy.

• Ensure that library staff have access to high-functioning spaces equipped to make their work more efficient and their working conditions more acceptable and equitable.
• Designate and spend taxpayer resources equitably and sustainably and within an appropriate time frame.

NCW Libraries even staffed a table at the Sept. 28 Fall Festival in Bouska Park to gather public comment about the upcoming library project.

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media