Please come out tonight at 7:00 pm to Lamond-Riggs Library to meet the design team selected for reconstruction of the library. DC Public Library officials and HGA design firm will be present to discuss the design schedule and hear ideas from residents.

One thing that has come up in discussion is parking. Some have made the point that Lamond-Riggs Library is one of two libraries in Ward 5, and that it serves some neighborhoods that do not have great metro access. I will go ahead and say that expectations should probably be reined in with respect to getting more parking on the site. There are fewer than 20 parking parking spaces at the current library. It is highly unlikely that library officials will look to build underground parking because that is really really expensive. Tariffs are affecting steel prices so there is already concern that the millions of dollars allocated for the design and construction of a new library will not go as far as officials had envisioned. The library is a comfortable walking distance from Fort Totten metro station, and there is a parking garage nearby at Art Place at Fort Totten. Perhaps there can be discussion down the line about having validated parking at the garage. Maybe DC officials can work to get a bus stop directly outside of the library.

Another issue has been how out-of-the-box the design should be. DCPL has earned a reputation for designing unique neighborhood libraries that tend to elicit strong opinions. I am all for it. Take Woodridge Library. To me, it looks like a cross between a spaceship and a chapel, and I love it. The outdoor space facing the park is beautiful. There are design issues with the space inside as sound carries from one floor to the next. One positive thing about being nearly last in line in library renovations is that DCPL has been able to learn from design challenges at other libraries. One big success for DCPL is the Cleveland Park Library, which was recently completed. It is a really beautiful space, and I think it hits a lot of right notes in terms of design and utility. There are small conference rooms as well as huge meeting rooms that can be subdivided to fit audiences of smaller sizes or opened to easily fit 150 people. There are individual work stations with electrical outlets and charging ports as well as larger tables. There is a nice children’s area on the entrance level where children can be as loud as they want to be. I think it is worth taking a trip up there to see how DCPL really got it right with that redesign.

Come out tonight to learn how residents can shape the reconstruction of the Lamond-Riggs Library. Updates on the library reconstruction are available on the project website at https://www.dclibrary.org/newlamondriggs.