Decade of debate, years of planning and 11 months to build — Yachats dedicates $1.35 million library Saturday

By CHERYL ROMANO/Lincoln Chronicle

YACHATS — The Yachats Library starts a new chapter with its grand opening Saturday, Feb. 28.

All are invited to share the official launch of the new city facility at 560 W. Seventh St. from 10 am. to noon. Music, refreshments, guest speakers and activities will help inaugurate the building, completed late last year.

Speakers will include Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, state librarian Wendy Cornelisen, Yachats Mayor Craig Berdie, library administrator Traci Altson, and a few children who love and use the library.

Since parking in front of the building is limited, attendees are strongly encouraged to use alternate sites and means. Two nearby churches — Yachats Baptist on U.S. Highway 101 and Yachats Community Presbyterian on West Sixth Street — have offered their parking lots for use during the event. In addition, the city’s new trolley will be operating from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will make one stop at the corner of West Sixth and La De Da Lane near Yachats Community Presbyterian Church and shuttle between there and the library.

Yachats’ original library was 52 years old when it was demolished last March. After much discussion about moving to another location or simply adding to the existing structure, the least expensive option turned out to be tearing down the building and starting over on the current site.

The funds to plan and build the library came from many sources: two bequests of $150,000 each, a $250,000 grant from The Ford Family Foundation; grants and fundraising by the Friends of Yachats Library, and $600,000 from the city’s urban renewal district budget.

The $1.35 million structure, constructed on the site of the original 1973 library, boasts 3,450 square feet of space, an increase of almost one-third over the original.

Featuring wood detailing, soaring ceilings and ample natural light, the new Yachats library is a bright space that offers these enhancements:

• More shelves for the library’s growing collection of 13,000 books and media;
• An improved children’s area with more space, more books, and colorful artwork;
• More adult seating, including stations for patrons working from their own computers;
• New library computers available for public use;
• A community room with a wide-screen TV and seating for up to 25; and
• A dedicated room to support the fundraising activities of the Friends of Yachats Library.

Designed by M/D Architect + Design of Coburg and built by Unitus Services of Vancouver, Wash., the new building is fully up to code, Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible, and designed to withstand a natural disaster.

Years of volunteer work

While the need for a new library had been discussed for more than 20 years, the project didn’t kick into gear until 2019. That was when a professional needs assessment called for an expanded, code-compliant structure.

Led by chair David Rivinus, the Library Commission and other community volunteers worked for years to develop plans for the building. Once the necessary permits were secured, the project was turned over to the city. Rivinus praised city staffers Neal Morphis and Rick McClung for taking the job to completion.

“Certainly, working hard on a project and having it come to life in this way is tremendously gratifying,” Rivinus told the Lincoln Chronicle. “But for me, an even better part is being a member of a team that cares as much as this one does. People who love libraries are the greatest. And their energy just carries you along.”

Berdie praised the community effort in a statement from the city.

“When you understand that Yachats is a community of just over 1,000 permanent residents, it is a testament to the spirit, imagination and dogged determination of our tiny city that we were able to make this happen,” he said.

• Cheryl Romano is a Yachats freelance reporter who contributes regularly to Lincoln Chronicle. She can be reached at [email protected]