By Mandy Stussman ‘14

Construction of the Olney Library on Route 108 is scheduled to be complete by October 18, or soon after. This will be the culmination of over four years of consulting, designing and finally building the much anticipated community facility.

The new and improved library will feature a larger children’s room, a separate teen area with an expanded collection of literature for young adults and a new set of group-study rooms. It will also feature the newest technology including self-checkout machines, a media dispensing unit for DVDs, monitors on the ends of shelving ranges for accessing the catalogue and loanable laptops.

“I have worked with the Project Manager and architects on the design of the renovated space and the selection of furniture and equipment,” said Rita Gale, Public Services Administrator for Facilities and Strategic Planning for Montgomery County Public Libraries and Library Department. “The building will be more energy efficient … there will be a dividable meeting room that will allow two groups to be meeting at the same time. The shelving will be lower allowing the building to look more open and light.”

After the building is substantially complete in mid-October, it will take a month to finish the project, complete a punch list, and obtain occupancy. Once granted, it will take about seven weeks to move the books and furniture in and get the facility ready for public use, leading to an opening date in late January or early February.

According to the Gazette, recent construction has been running according to schedule, but there have been many obstacles and setbacks. The library closed in December of 2010 because the County was in a recession and required all departments to reduce budgets. Original plans allotted for the library to open in the summer of 2012; however, continuous delays and barriers in planning postponed construction until last January, resulting in the library remaining unused for over a year and causing frustration in the Olney community.

Another hiccup threatened to delay the opening when Milestone Construction Services, the general contractor for the project, informed Montgomery County in early August that it is going out of business at the end of 2013. The Library project was about 66 percent complete at the time and the pace of the work had slowed immensely prior to the announcement. Despite fears that the project would be delayed for a long time or abandoned all together, the company is in contract and has promised to finish the project.

Since receiving information regarding the status of Milestone Construction in August, the Department of General Services has been diligent in monitoring site progress and working with the contractor to finish the project. Milestone Construction has increased the on-site work force.

Though the building of the library has been a long, laborious process, it will soon open and provide the community with a much needed place to read, research and gather.