LITTLE BOSTON — After being turned in late to the proverbial book drop, the new Little Boston Library construction contract has been signed, and the project is ready to begin — minus the usual late fees and a stern look from the Librarian.
The project, which broke ground in June 2006, will be the final building in the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s House of Knowledge complex. It has also been the toughest to fund.
“It seems like the last building in the House of Knowledge has been the most difficult to raise funds for,” said Tribal Chairman Ron Charles. “The last little bit was really difficult. We finally got it all worked out.”
Construction was scheduled to begin in December 2006, but was delayed until expenses could be reduced to fit the $936,000 budget, said tribal associate director Laurie Mattson. The tribe received just one bid for the project, and it was far more than the tribe could afford. But after reducing the square footage from 3,146 to 2,767, the contract was inked Jan. 23. Bulldozers and construction crews will be making an appearance within the next month or so, she said.
“It’s a little smaller now,” Mattson said. “But no one will be able to notice. It’s not drastically smaller, and we’ll still have room for everything we want to include.”
Community members have expressed interest in the tribe creating not just a library, but a meeting area and a place where tribal art and photos can be displayed.
This building will be the fourth installment of the library in the area, which started with a traveling library Charles used when he was a younger. The first building was a tiny A-frame, constructed in 1974. Fifteen years later, a second building was erected and has been overseen by Little Boston Library Branch Manager Suzanne Jones ever since. The new library should be finished in early fall, Mattson said.
“As it gets closer, we will have more to do,” Jones said. “Right now, we’re just waiting for the construction to start. We’re all pretty excited about it over here.”
“This building has taken a little longer than we originally thought,” Charles said. “But that’s not such a bad thing, considering the bad weather we’ve had recently.”
