News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Architect Richard Turi pointed out features of his library design at a public meeting last week. photo by Jim Cornelius
Patrons of the new, expanded Sisters Library got a good look at plans for the facility during a public meeting at Sisters Fire Hall on Wednesday, February 11.
Though there was some discussion about changes to details, architect Richard Turi's design won praise from the audience.
"You've done a fine job meeting the requests of the community," said Norma Funai.
She was referring to the more than 300 ballots submitted by patrons listing design features, amenities and appearance elements they wish to see in their library.
One of the features will make the fire hall obsolete for hosting such public meetings. The new library will have a conference room seating 60 to 70 people. It will be accessible even when the library is closed.
The new library will be built on the site of the former Sisters Middle School on Locust Street.
Richard Turi's design for the Sisters Library. photo by Jim Cornelius
The library footprint covers approximately 8,300 square feet; the current library would fit in about one-quarter of the projected space.
According to Turi, different service areas of the library will gain 50 to 300 percent in capacity.
"When you open this library you will have lots of empty shelves," Turi said.
Assistant Library Director Todd Dunkelberg quickly chimed in to assure the audience that the Deschutes Public Library has budgeted for an aggressive acquisition program for the new library.
Some of the ceilings will be vaulted and a gas fireplace is planned for one corner of the building to give it a "living room" feel.
The area around the library will be extensively landscaped and much of the discussion at the meeting revolved around ensuring that patrons would have easy access to outdoor areas.
There will be 44 spaces for shared parking with the city hall building slated for the adjoining site and 22 more spaces are planned on the west end of the building.
Much to the relief of patrons who have battled slick sidewalks and walkways this winter, the roof is designed to shed snow away from walk areas. There is also a covered porch planned for one end of the building, an addition that is supposed to add to the "Western" appearance of the building.
Turi, who also designed a relatively plain library in La Pine, noted that Sisters is lucky to be able to add some aesthetics to the building, due to financial support from the community and the Friends of the Sisters Library.
The Sisters project has a total budget of about $1.6 million; $850,000 of that will be spent on the building.
Turi acknowledged that the drawings he presented have some features (such as stonework) and material upgrades that exceed the current budget for the project.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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