Beginning to take shape

Today, they are hard at work preparing the concrete forms that give us a hint of the shape of the library. In the front between two larger sections is a recess that will become our entryway. The sections on either side of this entrance begin to reveal the front of each community room. The large untouched chunk of earth to the left will be greenspace. The concrete footings behind that outline part of the youth area. Behind that (surrounded by orange fencing) is where they are digging out for a basement.

Part of the reason that there will not be a full basement is the abundant slate evident with the excavation. These slate layers heave and shift with changes in the weather. To put in a complete basement floor, the entire slate bed would have to be removed and the material replaced with something more stable. This explains why portions of the old basement had bare slate floor with no moisture barrier instead of a poured floor.

The parking area has been built up more and smoothed. There will still be a downhill slope to the parking area. It will, however, be much less pronounced.