LIBRARY REBUILD TAKES SHAPE
Building on Cass closed temporarily as major facelift begins
Motorists traveling by the Mount Clemens Public Library might mistakenly believe the place has been hit by a bomb.
But the raggedy appearance of the building at 150 Cass Avenue west of Gratiot Avenue is undergoing a rebuild as efforts to transform the library into a multi-level, state-of-the-art learning and meeting center are underway.
Voters in 2020 approved an $8.8 million bond issue is financing a two-year renovation of the structure, which first opened in 1969. The facelift is scheduled to be finished in the summer of 2023.
“I cannot wait for the community to see what we have planned,” said library director Brandon Bowman. “They are going to love what a modern library will look like and the services it will offer.”
The Alan Group, the Troy-based general contractor, recently started internal demolition to the building with construction expected to start in earnest in June. The process is expected to take anywhere between 18 and 24 months, according to library officials.
Planned improvements include a driveup window and book return, enhanced entrance area, expanded children’s area, larger genealogy section, booth seating with electrical outlets, more expansive wifi, and spaces where people can teach classes.
Other capital improvements include replacing the heating and cooling system, replacing light fixtures and electrical panels, replacing skylights and carpeting, reallocating space in the basement for public use, replacement of the foyer and entrance doors that are original to the building and adding ADA compliance modifications.
Before the onset of the pandemic, attendance was up at the library, so Bowman figures the shutdown lends itself perfectly to the construction schedule. The library closed in early February, moved skeleton operations into the Community Center at 300 N. Groesbeck and stored the majority of its materials in the Wilson Gym.
“We’re going to have only the brand new books and children’s materials, like board games, and audio books, CDs and DVDs, our large-print collection. over here at the Community Center,” said Bowman, an Imlay City resident who formerly ran the Oak Park Public Library.
While operating out of the community center, the library is paying the city a fee to store many of its materials at the Wilson Gym. Having total access to the building for the construction team is expected to shave 10 months off the timeline.
The Community Center/ Library’s services are limited, but visitors can talk to a librarian with reference questions; have copies made; pick up held items; and browse the most popular items. There is no internet service yet but the building.
Community Center hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Because the city is allowing items to be stored at Wilson Gym, City Clerk Cathleen Martin has relocated Precinct 2 to Christian Lighthouse Church at 57 Church.
“The City of Mount Clemens is committed to assisting the Mount Clemens Library during its reconstruction, so that residents can continue to access the important resources that the library provides our community,” Martin wrote in an email.
Christian Lighthouse Church will serve as Precinct 2’s home for the Aug. 3 primary election and the Nov. 2 general election. Martin said the precinct will return to Wilson Gym for all election in 2022.
Although Precincts 3 and 4 are at the Community Center, there is no need for those to be relocated for any election in 2021, Martin added.