[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6289693,"mediaKeyId","2532171-a71cf081e058f8cbe1cd53e439c1df86","parentId",2532171,"title","Walla Walla officials review library renovation designs, fundraising plan; $6 million left to raise","audioSeconds",4816,"startMs",76000,"endMs",4892000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2532171-a71cf081e058f8cbe1cd53e439c1df86&start=76&end=4892","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2532171-a71cf081e058f8cbe1cd53e439c1df86/thumbnail_76000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6289693/Walla-Walla/Walla-Walla-County/Washington/Walla-Walla-officials-review-library-renovation-designs-fundraising-plan-6-million-left-to-raise","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6289693-5164b627db001f1765a0bad7329f2e5b/orig.mp4?Expires=1775156821&Signature=EYPwpmXYDwugWVEYHhhxLws29OHvZyXDrtW6HMGkKYhND4MAOazE2sNSlayRz3rzfHFExkRdgDw1imZZIlhAaRQh7PkhgHt2PQDMHmprvNU1nySwpu20iLQqxapLYglBP-HCAjNm9sv~SOCr03J~bo1877fLVW9J89OHd~IsBmb4Ef2Y1bujNaQnON3L2fqavXjGVLU7diO4Lxw620O9sVw5nm6zk4ZIhyp3TgJCc23FQyYUi1ls3tw~80ThMIshX7LMFFayLOe17pFhhJ2bT4HCaVYZDLAHOOOctmPhDdVEm9lCwwY~REncf7-ST786L~z4HxJRG~NsdsJCflZIHQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Walla Walla City, WA","date","2025-02-10T00:00:00Z","article","Walla Walla — At a Walla Walla City Council work session on Monday, Feb. 10, library representatives and the project's architects gave council members an update on schematic designs for a renovation of the 55‑year‑old Walla Walla Public Library and outlined a capital campaign to pay for the work.

Heather Preston, library staff, opened the presentation: “Thank you. We're super excited to be here tonight to give you an update on the library renovation project.” The architects from Building Work showed plans that center on a new, highly visible entry called the “Great Hall,” interior reconfiguration to move staff work areas to one side, seismic and envelope upgrades, and building‑wide systems improvements.

The project team said the library is in the schematic‑design phase and aims to complete design and documentation roughly one year from now, with a target grand reopening in early 2027. Kate Weiland, a partner at Building Work, told the council she has worked on more than 20 libraries in Washington and that the schematic work will be refined in the months ahead. “We are relatively early in the overall process,” she said, and the team asked the council to expect more detailed design development and community input before final decisions.

Why it matters: the presentation framed the project as both a safety and program upgrade. Architects proposed a full seismic retrofit and said the existing unreinforced masonry and single‑pane windows need replacement. The team also proposed adding windows and daylighting, a larger flexible program room, consolidated staff space with daylight, updated HVAC and data infrastructure, and new accessible single‑stall restrooms near the main entry.

Funding and timeline: campaign representatives said the overall project budget is $16 million and that the campaign has raised 62% of the goal to date, leaving about $6 million to raise. Rebecca Zanotta, representing the campaign team, said the group is working with the Blue Mountain Community Foundation as fiscal sponsor and has refreshed grant research and donor outreach. The campaign’s near‑term schedule includes stakeholder meetings and two public engagement events on March 6 — a donors/connectors session from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and a public open house from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The team told council it is aiming to have roughly 90% of the needed funds committed by March 2026 before authorizing construction.

Design and operations details: architects described the planned Great Hall as glassy and civic in scale, with sliding glass partitions to allow programs to open into larger spaces. The team said they plan to replace single‑pane windows, add insulation and roof upgrades, and move to heat‑pump technology. In response to council questions about energy and acoustics, designers said they expect the renovated building to perform about 40% better on energy envelopes than the current building and described plans for higher‑performance glazing, exterior shading and acoustic ceilings and partitions in busy zones.

Community engagement and next steps: campaign staff said they are building a donor prospect list, meeting individually with council members and local stakeholders, and forming a steering/ campaign committee. Amy Watkins, the campaign fundraising manager, described door‑to‑door outreach, small donor prospects and grant applications as part of the funding mix. The project team emphasized that construction would not begin until the bulk of funds are committed and that the council would be involved in decisions about timing and any city contribution or financing options.

Council response: council members generally praised the design concept and asked questions about energy, acoustics, staffing impacts and cost‑risk if fundraising falls short. Several members requested follow‑up briefings and individual meetings with the campaign team before the community open house.

The library team left the council with materials and a draft case statement and planned to return for further engagement; no formal council action or vote was taken at the Feb. 10 work session.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","February 10, 2025\tCity Council - Work Session","oneSentenceSummary","Walla Walla — At a Walla Walla City Council work session on Monday, Feb. 10, library representatives and the project's architects gave council members an update on schematic designs for a renovation of the 55‑year‑old Walla Walla Public Library and outlined a capital campaign to pay for the work.","taxTitle","Walla Walla, Walla Walla County, Washington","taxId",59846,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6289688,"City staff recommend Walla Walla maintain Pine Street planter strips, estimate $10,000 annual cost",0,4827000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2532171-a71cf081e058f8cbe1cd53e439c1df86&start=4827&end=4827","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2532171-a71cf081e058f8cbe1cd53e439c1df86/thumbnail_4827000.jpg","/articles/6289688/Walla-Walla/Walla-Walla-County/Washington/City-staff-recommend-Walla-Walla-maintain-Pine-Street-planter-strips-estimate-10000-annual-cost","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6289688-6f493dd524d5081360f4ad259c9233ef/orig.mp4?Expires=1775156821&Signature=TYY3yHSb8FDfeZZmWc-bPohwpRTwKg9HzLo62MqhtHmMtgt6okvOIc3JnN2w6Eb603trUJhqrI5deiPL~nzHbO1p2hImjE-4muN4tAWgqZKXXade89iao8MZDwjo5dJZpxgG8B-e7w3iT7mXtzZ3iP5bz1tQR2c02RL7UGoZyqB~SmjY3GJjiSdXke1SVX0wwh8BhRQ7a8HCjsnnh7W6OX2i7uLCF88VgvI~a0YAWNflV179hsRcNbYSx6geBiqa43-dIb8L-nNmrueJN23vzU3-HgsbVkok4OV7faeWm9U7N7Juas7EYnM~uCeB4qc7LykUcY8HrbBjPsk5fCByZw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Walla Walla — City staff presented conceptual plans for Pine Street planter strips and recommended the city assume maintenance responsibility for certain non‑stormwater planting strips at a Walla Walla City Council work session on Monday, Feb. 10.

Kai (city staff) said the purple areas on the project illustrations are intended as stormwater swales and would be paid for and maintained through the stormwater utility, while the green areas are non‑swale planter strips that staff recommended the city maintain. \"The purple areas are intended to be stormwater swales, where they will collect runoff from the roadway, help treat and infiltrate it,\" Kai said during the presentation.

Staff said the corridor is unusual because Pine Street is a residential roadway that also serves as a minor arterial and gateway into the city. Kai told council that the project team’s initial estimate would add about 50 trees along the corridor and that roughly 40 property owners have frontage along the corridor; staff estimated about $10,000 per year to maintain the green strips (irrigation, mowing, weeding, fertilizing and general upkeep).

Andy, representing Parks, told council that a city‑managed approach would better protect tree canopy and the corridor’s appearance over time. \"Long term, to keep it looking good, it should be in city control and management of these areas,\" Andy said.

Next steps and ordinance: staff said they will return to the council on Feb. 20 with an ordinance that would (as described in the staff report) exempt the clouded planting areas from the usual code placing maintenance responsibility on adjacent property owners and set city maintenance and irrigation for the non‑swale strips, with an exit strategy to transfer maintenance responsibility if property frontage is redeveloped. Kai said staff will seek council direction on the proposal before drafting the ordinance.

Council response: several council members spoke in favor of staff’s recommendation, calling the corridor a gateway and stressing the long‑term benefits of canopy and neighborhood investment. Councilmembers also raised concerns about enforcement (preventing parking or misuse of the planters), whether adjacent property owners were consulted, precedent for other streets, and how maintenance costs would be budgeted; staff said stormwater‑eligible swales would be funded from the stormwater utility and the green‑area maintenance would come from the general fund and parks resources.

Financial and technical details: staff said stormwater swales will be designed for runoff collection and will use plantings appropriate for filtration; parks will perform maintenance for swale areas with a chargeback to the stormwater fund. For the non‑swale green areas, staff estimated a recurring maintenance cost of approximately $10,000 per year for the three pages of green areas shown in the presentation, and said tree pruning would continue to be managed under the city’s urban forestry program.

No formal action was taken at the Feb. 10 work session; staff requested direction to proceed with design and to bring an ordinance and budget implications to the Feb. 20 council meeting.","City staff presented a conceptual redesign of Pine Street planter strips at the Feb. 10 work session, proposing irrigated street trees and city maintenance of the non‑swale (green) areas; staff estimated about 50 new trees, roughly 40 adjacent property owners and $10,000 per year to maintain the green strips, and said an ordinance will be brought","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Walla Walla officials review library renovation designs, fundraising plan; $6 million left to raise

City staff recommend Walla Walla maintain Pine Street planter strips, estimate $10,000 annual cost