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June 28, 2007

On a Strong Foundation

We have started construction of the New Darien Library, now that the enviromental cleanup is completed. The building's foundation footprint has been excavated, and the lowest of the low foundation elements -- footings for elevators and the mechanical room sump pump -- are being laid.

The excavation gives a sense of the new building's size:

Construction will last until the end of 2008, when we'll be able to move into the new building. Between now and then, there will be lots to see, but when we're done, you can be sure that the critical work going on now will be nowhere in sight. For example, here is the footing of Elevator B, which staff members will use when they are moving books and other items from floor-to-floor:

In the end, the quality of the new building will depend on the efforts of two men more than anyone else, the Senior Project Manager, Frank Fazekas, and the Project Superintendent, Mark Moran (by the way, Mark's mom works in a library nearby.) Here they are:

Probably in August or September, contractors will begin erecting the steel structure of the building, but until then, all the work will take place below ground level. What's going on down there represents an important shift in the project, however.

We are no longer getting ready.

We now are building the New Darien Library, and we couldn't be more excited.

Posted by Alan Kirk Gray at 03:01 PM | Comments (1)