PINE BLUFF -- Construction of the new Pine Bluff Library -- the flagship of the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library System -- is projected to be completed within a month.
Then comes the installation of new technology and furnishings, and the transfer of the library system's assets into the 35,000-square-foot facility.
Crews are now installing trim and carpeting and doing final touches throughout the complex. Landscaping of the grounds is scheduled to be finished in October. Officials said workers have installed more than 266 tons of steel, 4.6 tons of roof joists, more than 13 miles of computer wiring, and about 3 miles of ¾-inch and ½-inch conduit throughout the structure.
"As of now we're looking at handing the keys over in mid-July," said Patrick Booth, site supervisor for East Harding Construction, the project's general contractor and project management company. "But they've still got to move in, get all the furniture in, so it's not like we hand the keys over and it's ready for business."
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The sleek, modern, steel-and-glass structure was designed by Little Rock-based Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects and Pine Bluff-based Reed Architectural Firm. It was designed to be an aesthetically pleasing and accessible complex, and officials are calling it the crown jewel of downtown Pine Bluff.
Construction began in November 2018, but planning for the new library began long before, said Fred Reed of Reed Architectural.
"When I think back about the project and about how long I've been with it, I think, oh, it's been three or four years, but it's actually been six years at least," Reed said. "We started out with meetings about the concept, then we go through the design process, so I've invested at least six years."
Reed said initial plans were to renovate the existing library, but he said eventually it was decided that a new library would be a better investment for the city.
"One thing we considered is the existing library is a part of the Civic Center, a complex of several buildings, and identity-wise, it was kind of hard to identify that the library was there," he said. "This gives us a separate identity."
Initially the library was projected to open in May, but above-average rainfall in 2019 that has lasted well into this year caused some construction delays, Booth said -- and rain hasn't been the only complication.
The coronavirus pandemic and the resultant shutdowns slowed the delivery of items needed in the project. Booth said a lot of construction materials, such as carpeting and sound baffles, were delayed because of virus-related issues with suppliers.
"The supply chain really became an issue," said Win Trafford, East Harding director of business development.
The pandemic has also played havoc with plans for opening, and the sharp rise in infections in the state since it began reopening the economy has created uncertainty as library officials try to decide if the facility can be safely opened once it is ready.
Currently, the old library, located in the Pine Bluff Civic Center Complex, is providing curbside delivery only, but that service will have to be shut down at that location once the move is underway, said Bobbie Morgan, director of the library system.
The system's four branches -- Altheimer, Watson Chapel, Redfield and White Hall -- are in various stages of renovation, Morgan said, with one completed but unable to open due to the pandemic. She said the Altheimer branch is completed but was closed due to the pandemic shortly after the grand opening. Renovations are still underway at the Redfield and White Hall branches and are almost completed at Watson Chapel.
All the construction is financed through two property tax increases -- 3 mills in Pine Bluff and 0.25 mills in Jefferson County -- that were approved by voters in November 2016.
The Pine Bluff millage is funding the $10.5 million construction cost of the new library and providing $500,000 for improvements at the Watson Chapel branch. The county millage is being used to fund the improvements to the White Hall, Redfield and Altheimer branches.
On a recent tour of the new library, Morgan pointed out the various features and specialty areas, and talked with pride about the programs the library will be able to offer.
The design includes spaces on three levels for adults, children and teens, and will be equipped with two recording studios, sound and video editing software, a video gaming area, a maker's space where kids can experiment with electronics and robotics, a genealogy research area, a teaching kitchen, a computer training lab, public-access computers and private study areas.
A mezzanine above the second floor will house the teen area, Morgan said, providing teenagers with a place to congregate, study, play and enjoy themselves.
The design of the building is open and spacious, and glass walls on all sides provide a panoramic view of downtown.
Radio-frequency identification technology will allow people to check out books, movies and other items via self-checkout kiosks while also providing security.
Security cameras that will allow the staff to monitor activities have been installed throughout the complex as well.
To keep people apprised of the library's offerings, Morgan said, an electronic community board monitor will be installed near the first-floor elevator to advise patrons of the activities and various programs that are underway, as well as upcoming events.
The library will also have a section of large-print books for people with vision issues, a Spanish-language section, seating areas for groups and individuals throughout the building, DVDs, magazines, and even a conference room, Morgan said.
She said she is hopeful that the library can be opened to the public soon, at least on a limited basis if a full opening is not possible.
"I'd love to be able to open soon," she said. "A lot of that is because our service is just not there right now and people have been really interested. We put up a picture on our website and had 11,000 hits in a day and a half. There is a lot of public interest in this community in this library and I really want to be able to welcome them in and have it so they can use it.
"There's a lot of interest in the recording studios and the teaching kitchen," Morgan continued, then added with a laugh, "I haven't heard as much about the books."
But there will be books, she said, both physical books that can be taken from the shelves and read at leisure, and e-books that can be downloaded through an app onto e-readers such as Kindles, Nooks and iPads.
The library also has a collection of antique and rare books, which will be housed in a temperature- and humidity-controlled room next to the genealogy research area. Included in the library's collection is a copy of "Roland Clark's Etchings," published in 1938, a similar copy of which Morgan said sold at auction for $1,200.
Depending on how the pandemic affects the state in the coming months, Morgan said she hopes to open for limited service in a few weeks and for a full opening by mid-September.
"A lot is going to depend on the virus and what it does," she said. "We're hoping to be able to begin curbside delivery by mid-July, but until it's safe for people we can't open."
