Progress and a brief Homecoming

The skeleton of the entryway now stands in place. The pace of framing seems to be ever quickening. As quickly as a wall framing section can be completed, there are workers ready to securely apply the particle board sheath and Tyvek wrap.

The individual areas are begining to present their own shape. Closer examination reveals the demarkations for bathrooms, community rooms, offices and so on.


Along the back, the Concrete has been poured for the reading room. Suspended outward beyond the frame of the building proper, Its future glass windows and gas fireplace will provide a more relaxed area with a beautiful view. Two additional caissons await ready to support the open air deck just beyond.

If you have spent much time at all in the Berea location, you understand that our staff is like a family. It was simply a matter of time until this family made its first trip back together to their once and future home.

For those who may have forgotten where this journey began, look to the picture below. The red shows the dimensions of the building that no longer stands. In addition to a more expansive space, the new library will offer a larger community room on its main floor, a theater style room, Berea history room, reading decks, a private garden area and greater handicap accessibility.

. . .and you thought that all this was to get rid of the mold problem!!!

Those wonderful walls

In 1989, the world expressed elation as the Berlin Wall was taken down. In September 2007, Madison Countians and their neighbors can express great excitement as the walls of our new Berea location are officially going up. Site manager Harrison Hoskins points out that the outer walls should be up within two weeks.

As each wall section is completed, crews begin to cover the frames with particle board. This will strengthen the overall structure as it conceals the steel skeleton beneath.

The raising of the walls is truly a landmark in the overall construction. It marks the transition between a building site and a building.

A little Rain and a little progress

As the rain poured gently down, I made yet another foray onto the new library worksite. The first element to capture my attention was the wall of our entryway. Towering 25 feet into the air, it displays to me just how large our new building will be.

Like a phoenix from its own ashes, our new building rises up piece by piece. In a place occupied by only a two dimensional representation mere weeks before, steel supports have appeared followed by PVC plumbing door casings and steel framing.


A new wall is about to go up a few feet from the former Mountain Maternal Building. Unlike the old building, the new one will not share a common wall with its neighbor.

The supports for our reading area have also been put in place. Our patrons will soon have a sequestered area to relax and enjoy our materials without constant distraction.

With all of these additions and more on the way, it will not be long before this dream of a new library will become reality.