A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Cloquet Public library supporters, city and tribal officials throw some dirt to formally "break ground" on the new library expansion, which is already underway. The goal is that the $2.3 million expansion project will be complete and ready for patrons by the summer of 2020.
Artist renderings show what the new spaces in the library will look like.
Library director Beth Sorenson (from left), and past Cloquet library director Mary Lukkarila (right) chat with Jim Weikum, executive director of the Arrowhead Library System, after the groundbreaking Friday.
Library director Beth Sorenson and Larry Anderson, library foundation treasurer, are all smiles thinking about what the new addition will bring to the library.
Fond du Lac RBC Chairman Kevin Dupuis and Library Board member Terry Anderson are prepared for the groundbreaking with hard hats and shovels
Continuing with its storied history, the Cloquet Public Library celebrated its major expansion with a groundbreaking ceremony Friday, Nov. 8.
The ceremony itself was a formality, as construction work on the area south of the building had already begun. The addition will add flexible meeting space to the library, which can be divided into one to three rooms, a dedicated children's area, a dedicated teen area, spaces for comfortable seating, a portable stage and sound system, and a teaching kitchen, along with many other improvements to aging systems that might not be as visible. The goal is that the $2.14 million expansion project will be complete and ready for patrons by the summer of 2020.
Cathy Rikkola, president of the Cloquet library board and a longtime member, was thrilled to see the Boldt construction equipment in place and the work already completed to date.
"We've dreamed and planned for this for several years," she said. "It is very exciting. Thank you to all."
Cloquet library director Beth Sorenson welcomed and thanked guests, then introduced the speakers, which included Rikkola, Mayor Roger Maki and Jim Weikum, executive director of the Arrowhead Library System.
Maki spoke of the cooperation required to make the expansion planning a reality, including the library staff, city administration, state legislation, the library foundation and friends, and the community. He commended current and past library directors Sorenson and Mary Lukkarila, respectively, for being instrumental in this major city addition. Maki reflected how the library on Cloquet Avenue was important in his studying and learning while in college, and he foresees this library growth doing the same for many others.
Weikum called the Cloquet library a leader and one of the "flagship facilities and examples" for the entire Arrowhead Library System. While libraries are very needed, he said it's an anomaly to see libraries expanding today. The cost can be prohibitive for some areas.
"For years, we've pointed at Cloquet's important investments in its future," Weikum said, calling it a great day for Cloquet. "This is a major expansion - adding the equivalent of half again of the total library square footage. It is impressive."
"This is a great day in Cloquet," Weikum said. "You all should be very proud."
