T-29: Countdown to Opening Weekend

Questions about February 29th and leap year are among those asked frequently at the Library’s  Reference Desk, along with inquiries about triskaidekaphopbia (fear of the number thirteen), the symbolism of the number 8 in Judaism and other fascinating facts about dates and numbers.

Want to learn more about Ridgefield and our Library?  Visit our beautiful new building starting May 9th.  If you can't wait that long, you can go to ridgefieldlibrary.org today.

Ridgefield Library On the Move!

We're closing operations at 21 Governor Street Thursday, April 17th at 7:00 PM. We will re-open with full service at 472 Main Street Saturday, May 10th at 9:00 AM.

Find out what this means for you.

The Fence Is Coming Down!

The fence around the construction site at 472 Main Street is being removed today!  The job trailer will be removed in a day or two (construction office will move into the building for the duration of the work).  This means final landscaping can be done (after this week's snow!) and the site can be cleaned up and made ready for Opening Weekend. 

There are lots of last details being attended to inside the building as we work our way through myriad inspections and approvals, so the site remains off limits to the general public for now.  Please restrain your curiosity!  There will be plenty of opportunities for tours on Opening Weekend and in the weeks afterwards.

Library service will continue to be available at our 21 Governor Street location until further notice. 

The New Ridgefield Library in the News-Times this Weekend

Did you see the article about the upcoming Opening Weekend, complete with pictures, in the Danbury News-Times on Sunday?  If you missed it, you can check it out online at http://www.newstimes.com/default/article/Larger-Ridgefield-Library-set-to-open-in-May-5321128.php

We're getting excited - are you?!

Timeline for New Library Opening Announced

Mark your calendars for the weekend of May 9-11 for Opening Weekend of the New Ridgefield Library!  More details will be announced shortly.

The Library will close for a brief period in April for the move from its temporary quarters on Governor Street back to its home at 472 Main Street.  Exact dates are dependent on satisfaction of life/safety and building code occupancy requirements and will be announced as soon as they are confirmed.  The Library staff hopes to restore some services on a limited basis during the weeks preceding the Opening Weekend, as they settle in and get the many new systems and services up and running.

It's Official!

Peter Coffin, Chair of the Ridgefield Library Board of Directors, is very pleased to announce that the official Opening Weekend for the New Ridgefield Library has been set for May 9-11^th.   “It has been more than 10 years in the works, and has taken the generosity and hard work of nearly 1,300 people, including planners, designers, volunteers, Friends, staff, Board and donors to bring to fruition, but the time is finally here,” says Coffin. “We invite the entire community to join us on the afternoon of Friday, May 9^th (exact time TBA) for ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremonies, to be followed throughout the weekend by performances, demonstrations, games and more to help visitors discover the many delights of the New Ridgefield Library.”

More details will be posted shortly.

Getting Ready for Winter on the Jobsite!

Did you see the big steamroller puffing out hot clouds into the cold air at 472 Main Street this morning? Paving of the parking lot is underway!  It turns out that asphalt plants close down for the winter because the cold makes it impossible for the materials to adhere properly.  So construction projects like ours often lay down paving in the fall, even if completion of construction is months ahead.

As the picture below shows, the outside of the building itself is also being "buttoned up" for the winter, with virtually all the glass, masonry and other exterior materials in place.  With the building taking shape so nicely on the outside, gas heaters will keep the interior comfortable for workers continuing to put mechanical systems, walls and other details in place.

Envisioning the New Ridgefield Library Presentation Informative and Inspiring

Great presentation last night by our design team from Newman Architects, Owner's Representative Robert Cavello and Library Director Chris Nolan and Board Chair Peter Coffin.  For those who missed it, you can check out Peter's exhaustive timeline of the path we have traveled from our first strategic planning conversations in 2003 to today! It is amazing how many people over so many years have dedicated so much time to make the New Ridgefield Library a reality.

Kudos to Program Assistant Laurie McGavin Bachmann for this timely addition to the ongoing ARTalk series she organizes.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Can you believe it has been one year since we opened our temporary library space at 21 Governor Street to the public?  The staff celebrated this week with coffee and cookies, then turned their attention back to the next pressing task: starting to plan our return to 472 Main Street in the spring of 2014!

Our temporary space has turned out to be more congenial than we could ever have hoped, and we thank all our patrons for their good cheer and patience during this interim period.

Tell us what you like about this space!

It was a beautiful day on Tuesday, May 7th, when a group of major supporters of the Campaign for the New Ridgefield Library got a first-hand look at the construction work going on at 472 Main Street. Peeking out from under those hardhats are, left to right, Robert Cavello (the Library's Owner's Representative for the project), Robert McKean, Liz Ellis, Sally Ruggles, Rudy Ruggles, Rhonda Hill (Friends of Ridgefield Library), Christina Nolan (Library Director), Valerie Jensen, Rebecca Bryan and Michael Bouwman (Dimeo Construction).

What you can't see behind the hardhat line-up is all the intricate detail work taking place in the foundations to accommodate electrical, HVAC, plumbing and other pipes and cables. Work is progressing nicely and will become more visible as the steel infrastructure begins to take shape shortly. The Library anticipates moving into the new building in the Spring of 2014 - suddenly that seems very soon!

The Library & The Prospector: Twice As Much Fun on Prospect Street!

Several people have commented on the considerable size of the construction site at the corner of Main and Prospect Streets.  From some angles, the entire block seems like one big hole dug most of way down to China.  We just wanted to remind people that there are actually two separate construction projects going on in that area.

The Library has completed demolition and excavation and is busy with foundation work on its portion of the block, closer to Main Street.  At the same time, on largely the same construction schedule, The Prospector movie theater project has demolished the old bank/theater further down the block on Prospect and is pouring concrete for its own building.  The two teams of builders are carefully coordinating efforts to accommodate a lot of big machinery in a tight proximity!

So what you are seeing is actually the beginnings of two buildings that together will form an exciting cultural campus in the heart of downtown.

The ceremonial groundbreaking for the New Ridgefield Library took place on a beautiful fall day.  Very soon afterwards, the construction fence went up and preparation for demolition began.  It doesn't look so calm and beautiful now!  Shown digging in are Capital Campaign Chair Philip Lodewick, Library Board Chair Peter Coffin, a young Library enthusiast, Library Director Chris Nolan, and Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi.