Article Contributed on: 7/16/2009 4:36:01 PM
Brighton mayor Jan Pawlowski couldn't help but smile July 15 as she toured the new library under construction between Bridge and Strong streets near Fourth Avenue.
"It's fantastic," she said of the new facility slated to open in September. "It's everything we had hoped for."
The $5.6 million, 20,000-square-foot library is being constructed in conjunction with the renovation of a nearby armory building, which is being converted into a cultural center. All told, the entire project comes with a $9 million price tag that's being paid for via voter-approved library improvement funds, donations, state and federal grants and city dollars.
While it's providing Brighton residents with a top-notch library facility and performing arts complex, officials here hope for something more. Downtown Brighton has been in a cycle of decline since the late 1970s, Pawlowski said, and many of the century-old storefronts lack the glimmer they once had.
She hopes the new developments will help stimulate retail growth to the level Brighton residents once enjoyed, when shoppers frequented a variety of large department stores like JCPenney, Woolworths and Ben Franklin.
"Redeveloping the old is very tough and it's very costly," Pawlowski said. "It's quite a process to go through. But once we get these two facilities open, I think people will be very proud of their community. This is going to be a crown jewel for the area."
Other developments, meanwhile, are humming along in other parts of Brighton, a city that has nearly tripled in size in the last 15 years. Some of that growth has been spurred by the opening of Denver International Airport, which has in turn led to construction of large developments such as the 2,000-acre, $500 million master-planned community known as Prairie Center.
Though the downtown renovation remains a work in progress, there are signs of activity, said Ray Gonzales, president and CEO of the Brighton Economic Development Corporation. A couple of specialty niche stores -- including Milagros of Colorado, 25 S. Cabbage St. and Baby Bootys, 24 N. Main St. -- have opened in recent months in the nearby area and other businesses are showing interest, he said.
"One of the things we are trying to create is a sense of destination for the downtown area," Gonzales said. "We want to be able to offer several amenities for our residents because we want it to be a regional attraction."
The library, he said, is a major selling point because it attracts more than 25,000 people each month.
"We've had three potential businesses looking at the downtown area and a couple of franchisees," Gonzales said. "So we've been extremely busy."
The new library is scheduled to host a grand opening ceremony from 1:30 to 6 p.m. Sept. 12. The current facility at 575 S. Eighth Ave. will close July 31 when library staffers begin the process of moving books and other materials into the new building.
A bookmobile will be used for pickups and drop offs during the transition.
The cultural center is slated to open the third week of October, said Steve Hansen, communications director for Rangeview Library District.
AT A GLANCE
Some tidbits about the new Brighton Branch Library
-- Cost of construction totaled $5,667,000
-- Grand opening is set for Saturday, Sept. 12
-- Area will boast 84 parking spaces, to be shared with cultural center
-- Floor-to-ceiling windows along Bridge Street
-- 12,000 new materials were purchased, bringing the total to 60,000 materials
-- Ground source heating and cooling
-- U.S. Building Council LEED silver certified
SOURCE: Rangeview Library District