City Making Way For New Library

DOWNTOWN BUILDINGS BEING DEMOLISHED

LINCOLN — Three buildings that had housed Amerigas, the library and Hatchett’s Auto Supply, came tumbling down last week so the city can build a new library on the downtown square.

“We hope to have the buildings down and the area cleaned up in a week or so,” said Lincoln Mayor Rob Hulse. “That is the plan.”

Hulse said city employees were recovering as much brick and rock as possible for future use.

“We’re hoping to bring some history in with the new library,” Hulse said about recycling some of the brick and rock from the older buildings.

The Amerigas building that adjoined the library on one side will also be coming down but it will be taken down separately. It has been gutted but care will be taken on the outer walls.

“We want to take it down separately, because it butts up against the next building,” said Chuck Wood, city business manager.

The Amerigas building was purchased recently by the city for the $45,000 agreed on by the Lincoln City Council earlier in the year, said Wood.

The Amerigas building will add an additional 1,400-square-feet to the new library, bringing the total square feet to a little more than 10,000-square-feet overall, according to Wood.

The city has a contract with McClelland Consulting Engineers, Inc., to provide surveys, core samples of the soil and provide civil engineering help on drainage and sidewalk issues.

D&R LLC, a demolition company, out of Crossett is responsible for demolishing the building and clear- ing rubble from the site.

“Everything is going as planned,” Wood said. “We’re behind some, but we should make it up in this portion

and be back on schedule.”

Wood said construction should begin on the new library in late February or early March. It should be completed by August or September 2013.

“I’m looking forward to a new library,” Wood said. “It’s going to be a beautiful building with a unique layout. I think people will be pleased.

The library has moved to the Community Building during construction of a new facility.

Nicky Morris, library director, said seeing the demolition of buildings was bittersweet.

“It was a happy time, because we’re going to get a new library,” Morris said. “But it was sad too, because there were a lot of memories there.”

Morris has worked at the library for a decade.

She praised city employees who were able to put together temporary freestanding shelves for books at the community building.

“I don’t know how they did it, but they gave us extra shelving and they did such a good job,” Morris said.

The library is open the same days and hours at the temporary location: from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 12 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

PAT HARRIS ENTERPRISE-LEADER Daniel Barnes and Wayne Jones, both with McClelland Consulting Engineers, Inc., were looking at the rear of three buildings that had partially been demolished last Wednesday. Jerry Ramsey with D&R LLC and Chuck Wood, city manager, joined in the...

PAT HARRIS ENTERPRISE LEADER At right the Lincoln Library known to the city’s citizens was bring torn down last week as the city gets ready to build a new 10,000 square foot library in its place along with buildings adjoining the facility on each side. Nicky Morris, library...