Library Progress: Starting the “Next Chapter”

— by Margie Doyle —

The Orcas Island Public Library Board met on Wednesday, Aug. 24 to finalize documents for the Levy Ballot that Orcas Islanders will vote on this November. They also reviewed the timeline for fund-raising for completion of the “Next Chapter” the expansion to the northwest of the current building that began on July 16.

Also at the meeting, President Margaret Payne stepped down from that position, though she will continue to serve on the Library Board of Trustees. Vice-President Tom Fiscus assumed the Presidency, and thanked her for her dedication to the Library and to the expansion project.

Following is a weekly update, provided by Project Manager Liz LeRoy at the Library’s public website:orcaslibrary.org/const-update. Looks like excavation is complete and, contrary to urban (hamlet?) legend, NO Volkswagen bug was found buried beneath the surface.

With the piling installation work almost complete, the Library staff may soon stop quavering — next comes the concrete floor slabs! LeRoy said, “We’re really happy about the progress. We’ve been working really well with the contractor and have gotten through the pin pile work and again, we want to thank everybody in the neighborhood for their flexibility with that noisy activity. We’re on schedule to open next spring; we are on time and on budget. Very exciting for the community!”

August 22 to Sept 2, 2016

• Pile driving complete this week!
• Formwork for the footings is just commencing this week, but will be continuing the week of the 29th.
• Concrete placement will start to occur the first of September and will be ongoing for week to ten days.
• After concrete is complete, the septic tank will be excavated and placed in approximately 3 weeks.

Trying to fit in as much excavation during the summer to take care of nice weather!

August 2 to August 12, 2016

• Pin Pile Driving: For the next two to three weeks (August 2 – August 12) the pin piles will be placed which is a nosier activity. The first day of pin pile driving was today – Tuesday August 2nd! We walked around to immediate neighbors to check in and communicate the schedule.
• Compaction and Grade Beam Formwork: The grading and compaction testing will overlap the pin pile work. Compaction will start the week of the 15tth. After the pin pile placement, the formwork will start to commence and create grade beams in preparation for the concrete.

July 26 to August 2

• Access and Parking on Prune Alley: HB Hansen will also be utilizing the lot to the South of Rose’s. This area will be fenced for safety and security and you will see fencing delivered on the 9th and set up shortly thereafter. The area along Prune Alley will remain open for parking from Friday through Sunday.
• Construction Activities: We have completed the prep grading for the building pad. HB Hansen has proof rolled the grade for anticipating placement of the pin piles next week. We will continue to haul off any excess dirt material. Starting on August 2, the welding of the pin piles will commence.

For the next two weeks (August 2 – August 12) the pin piles will be placed and will be a noisier activity. We appreciate your patience during this time.

It is important that we complete this work during dry, summer weather to optimize the soil conditions as it is extremely difficult to complete excavation and pin pile foundation work in wet weather. Thank you for your patience!