First Users Gather at New Library, Sheriff’s Substation, and Conference Room Which Opened in Garberville Wednesday

The first customer of the day! [Photo by Lauren Schmitt used courtesy of KMUD]

Wednesday, the County of Humboldt held the grand opening ceremony for the $3.1 million, almost 5000 square foot, Garberville Campus Complex which is located on Cedar Street on the site of the old Garberville library. The new site has not only a library, but the Humboldt County Sheriff Department’s substation and also a conference room.

According to a press release from the County,

[T]he library will feature accessible computer workstations, high-speed wireless internet access, a multi-media projector for presentations and movie viewing, a children’s section, and a contemporary reading/study area. The library will be open Wednesday from 12-7 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 12-6 p.m., and Saturday 12-4 p.m. The temporary Bookmobile service will end on Thursday, Sept 30 and the book drop-off at Ray’s Food Place will stop on Oct 13, as residents can take their books to the library location.

The Garberville Campus Complex is the first in the county’s efforts to move more of its services to the campus-style model, an effort termed the “Facilities Master Plan.” Well-planned projects like this can better and more efficiently serve county residents and businesses while also advancing community resiliency, creating environmentally friendly transportation options and improving workforce retention. Additional benefits of combining more public services into single locations includes building facilities according to the needs and values of residents, saving money from utility costs and building maintenance, reducing the amount of time spent traveling to access services, improving energy efficiency of county buildings. You can find more on the county’s Facilities Master Plan on the county’s web site.

The Garberville Campus Complex multipurpose conference room will be used as a satellite office for county business, programs and library services. The complex has centralized public Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant restrooms, a new parking lot and site lighting. Upgrades to the utilities such as electrical, water, gas, fiber optic internet communications and waste-water upgrades were critical design elements to the project.

The Sheriff’s Office will begin offering services at the new location starting Sept 30. The substation includes an improved office layout and design, an ADA-accessible public lobby, an interview room, and enhanced features that promote the safety of the public and the deputies. A generator on the site will provide emergency power.

Adams Commercial General Contracting, Inc. of Eureka was the general contractor and Sally Swanson Architects was the architect for the project.