1 month ago
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KINGS COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Two large Kings County Library branches are closed until adjacent twelvemonth portion they acquisition much-needed renovations.
Shelves erstwhile filled with books present beryllium empty. Some person already made their mode onto moving trucks, portion the books present unrecorded successful the basement of the Hanford Branch Library.
For the past mates of weeks, workers person been clearing retired some the Hanford and Lemoore Branch Libraries successful anticipation of the upcoming renovations.
"We're packing up for our 'Building Forward Infrastructure Grant' from the State of California. We were circular 1 recipients, similar galore libraries successful the Central Valley area, Fresno County, Madera County," the Kings County Library Director, Tanya Russell, said.
Russell says the 2 libraries person been allotted $13.6 million.
The buildings day backmost to the precocious '50s and '60s, truthful it's harmless to accidental they're owed for immoderate upgrades, particularly to conscionable ADA standards.
"The assistance covers chiefly captious infrastructure, ADA bathrooms, sustainable lighting, occurrence sprinkler systems, those kinds of things," Russell said.
For the past 30 years, Russell says the region has besides been redeeming up to remodel things the assistance wouldn't cover.
"That's going to beryllium beauteous awesome arsenic well. So, the assemblage tin expect a caller circulation table that's ADA-compliant. A renovated children's country with much access," she said.
At the county's main branch, they'll besides beryllium adding 3 survey pods with upgraded machine desks and whiteboards inside.
"We're not 'shh' benignant of people. We're a assemblage gathering place, but we inactive request immoderate quiescent spots, truthful you're not proceeding our small ones that are having a large clip moving done arsenic you're trying to survey for an exam," she said.
At conscionable the Hanford location, they spot astir 15,000 visitors a week, truthful the request is there. The region had to get originative to support providing resources during construction.
The Hanford Branch is mounting up a impermanent determination astatine 110 South 11th Avenue, which volition unfastened connected Oct. 7.
"I'd accidental it's astir fractional the size of this location, but it's a bully size. We'll beryllium capable to connection wireless access, wired machine access, a batch of the aforesaid things we're doing now," Russell said.
In Lemoore, they'll beryllium utilizing their bookmobile astatine slightest doubly a week. Locations, days, and times volition beryllium posted connected their societal media.
"It'll beryllium worthy it," Russell said.
Both branches are expected to reopen by the autumn of 2026.
