Denver Public Library Announces Groundbreaking Cermony For The New Branch In Stapleton

Thursday, May 19th, 2 p.m.

Metro-area residents are encouraged to join Mayor Guillermo (Bill) V. Vidal, city officials and community partners as they officially break ground on the new Denver Public Library (DPL) branch in Stapleton at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 19th. In early 2010, the community was invited to several public meetings to share their ideas on the location of the library, the building character, its interior environment, the children’s area, sustainability and technology. Ideas taken from the community were considered in many aspects of the library’s final design. The state-of-the-art facility will blend a nouveau-traditional feel with varied elevations, abundant windows and a strong indoor-outdoor relationship. The interior will integrate a sense of community with flexible spaces which will facilitate interactive and educational opportunities. The branch will also incorporate the latest in library technology, including customer self-checkout stations, e-books, public computers, Wi-Fi accessibility and the introduction of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to library materials revolutionizing the way customers access library books and media. As part of the City’s commitment to Greenprint Denver initiatives, DPL and the project team will achieve, at a minimum, LEED Silver certification by incorporating energy efficient and environmentally sustainable features in the design of the facility, its operations and the overall construction process. The library will be constructed with local building materials and materials with recycled content. Sustainable features include day-lighting, reflective roofing, sub-floor air distribution, energy efficient cooling, indoor and outdoor water conscious devices and automated lighting and temperature controls. The Stapleton branch library project is funded by the voter approved Better Denver Bond Program. Several Denver Public Library branches have received renovations and the Stapleton Branch Library is the second of three new Denver Public Library branches to be constructed with bond-funding. Denver Public Works is providing the project management for the bond-funded facility under the leadership of George Delaney, Bond Implementation Manager and Director of Denver Public Works, by working closely with Denver Public Library staff. Construction and design services will be provided by Wember Inc., Oz Architecture and Group 3 Planners. The new branch is anticipated to open in mid-2012.