Construction continues for a new Reading Pavilion to be added to the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library.
Officials hope the construction will be completed by winter of this year and the goal is to keep the library open for regular hours while the work is being done.
The addition, which is expected to be completed in late October, will be a four-season space that will be conditioned year-round with the ability to open the doors when the weather is nice. Two sides will have glass walls and doors giving it an outdoor feel.
The space will have a catering kitchen as well as an audio-visual component making it available for lectures, meetings, social gatherings and regular library programming.
The construction will also include patio space that will wrap the corners of the building facing Cappes and West Waugh streets that will also provide outdoor opportunities for gathering with friends, working on a laptop or reading a good book.
Cost for the project is $4.2 million with $1.2 million provided by Whitfield County via SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) dollars and $3 million provided by a Georgia General Assembly Capital Construction Grant.
“This project has been several years in the planning and design,” says NGRL Director Betsy Powell.
“We are very excited to see earth being moved and progress being made. We believe it will transform that corner and make the building more inviting. It will make the library an even greater asset for the Dalton and Whitfield County communities”
The pavilion has been designed by KCP Architects and the work is being overseen by Felker Construction. The Northwest Georgia Regional Library System oversees the Dalton-Whitfield, Chatsworth-Murray and Calhoun-Gordon county public libraries.