As the stretch of cold and snowy weather lifts, work on the Powell Library is heating up once again. 

Work on the foundation was paused with the snowy, freezing weather, but as the weather warms up that work can continue and keep the project construction timeline on track. 

Park County Library District Director Karen Horner, who delivered an annual report on the library to commissioners last Tuesday, said they’ll be ready to finish work on the concrete foundation as soon as the weather warms up. 

In the meantime, other work has progressed, and design work is wrapping up, with a final rendering of the exterior of the building having been finished and library leaders working on final interior design decisions. 

Park County Commission Chair Dossie Overfield, who works with the library board as a commission liaison, said Horner and Powell Library Director Roseanne Spiering have spent “countless hours” on the project. 

“We've had tons of decisions to make, some which I am not a part of because I'm not a decorator and have no clue what to do with colors and things like that on some of it,” Overfield said. “So I'm glad that they're involved.”

She said they’ve had weekly meetings with both construction representatives and the architects, but that they’re close to being done with working with architects as the plan moves forward. 

Demolition started on the old library last summer so the library could meet an Oct. 1 deadline for beginning construction. The work needs to be finished by the end of 2026. The work is primarily being funded by roughly $9.3 million in grants from the state (via federal Covid-era funds) and up to $3.2 million from the county government.

The new facility is planned as a modern, 14,000 square foot building that will offer more features for the community and staff and better infrastructure to avoid some of the issues that have plagued the older building, such as water leaks. 

At Tuesday’s meeting Horner also again thanked the commissioners for allowing the library to have a temporary home at Homesteader Hall. 

“I can't express enough how appreciative we are that the county allowed us to move into the fairgrounds, because that was huge for the community,” she said. “It's just made it an easy transition, and we were able to continue our services without even missing a beat.”