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The Philomath Library is seeking public input at its open house on October 16

The Philomath Library is seeking public input at its open house on October 16

The Philomath Community Library will seek feedback from the public on possible expansion options during an open house on Wednesday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Robertson Sherwood Architects, the contractor hired to lead the feasibility study, plans to share two concept designs for a future expansion.

“We welcome initial community feedback on these designs – what they like, what they don’t, what is missing and what appear to be the highest priority areas,” said Ashlee Chavez, director of the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library.

The open day will be organized as a drop-in event, so those interested can drop in at any time to view the design options, chat with the architects and library staff, and provide feedback directly or via comment cards.

“After the event ends, the design options, along with an online survey, will be available for review and comment at the library for several weeks,” Chavez said.

The process of considering a library expansion began earlier this year when the City of Philomath requested proposals from qualified architects to conduct a feasibility study.

“While the current library is very functional and popular with the community, it was also built in 1995 when the town of Philomath only had about 3,000 residents,” Chavez said. “Given that the population has almost doubled since the library was built and is likely to continue to see steady growth, planning for the library’s future is urgently needed.”

Chavez said no funding sources had yet been identified for the project, but those involved felt the next logical step was to “understand the needs of the community and the library and how feasible an expansion might be.” how high the associated costs could be.” ”

Chavez added that because of the library’s proximity to a flood zone, the project’s first steps were to gain a better understanding of what might be within the realm of possibility.

The library and architects plan to continue collecting community feedback throughout October.

“Based on this input, Robertson Sherwood will begin work on a final concept design and work toward cost estimates,” Chavez said. “After that, we would have to start fundraising and looking for other sources of income in collaboration with the city of Philomath.”