Groundbreaking of Denver's Green Valley Ranch Branch Library adds Green to St. Patrick's Day Weekend

City and Library leaders kick off construction of new

Green Valley Ranch Branch Library

New branch library, approved as part of Better Denver Bond program, expected to be complete by spring 2011

March 12, 2010 -- City Councilman Michael Hancock, Denver Public Library leaders, and representatives of the Green Valley Ranch Branch Library project will kick off construction of the new branch library at a groundbreaking event at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 13 at the site of the new library at to be located at 4856 North Andes Ct., east of Tower Road. The groundbreaking ceremony will be followed by a reception and remarks by officials held at the Green Valley Ranch Recreation Center.

The new $11.4 million branch library, funded through the voter-approved Better Denver Bond Program, will provide much-needed library services to the Green Valley Ranch and Gateway neighborhoods, which have lacked a nearby Denver Public Library. The facility is envisioned as a community anchor and location for learning and networking and will be built on a two-acre site adjacent to the Green Valley Ranch Recreation Center. Construction is starting this spring and completion is targeted for spring 2011. Better Denver Bond is also funding the construction of branch libraries to serve Denver's Stapleton neighborhood and a new location in the western part of the city in the coming years.

"We are grateful to the citizens of Denver for passing the bond that allows us to build this much-needed library resource," said M. Celeste Jackson, public information officer, Denver Public Library. "The new facility is well-designed and will afford surrounding residents and families with many benefits."

The latest in library technology is being incorporated into the new building, including:

· wireless computer access

· customer self-check capabilities

· automated material handling

Green Valley Ranch Branch also will feature public-use computers, small study rooms, a community room for meetings and programs, a large family area and a fireplace-anchored area for adults. A xeric garden located on the south side of the library will offer outside views and spaces for respite.

Designated a "Children's and Family Style" Library, this library will boast:

· A variety of materials (books, movies and music) to meet the needs of families

· Shared spaces for parents and children, to use computers and find materials

· "Discovery pods" to facilitate interactive activities and shared learning experiences

The 26,000 square-foot, steel-framed building is being built using sustainable construction concepts under the Greenprint Denver plan, and is designed to receive LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The building will be energy efficient, make plentiful use of natural daylighting, have low water use plumbing fixtures and landscape plantings, and will be built to readily accommodate the possibility of a future photovoltaic array. Uniquely, this building's design captures aspects of its setting: the plains landscape and aviation influences of nearby DIA. The building's roof has an aerodynamic form and structural detailing derived from early aircraft design, and its shape echoes the long lines created by dry-land agriculture that is part of the heritage of this area of the city.

The City of Denver's $550 million voter-approved Better Denver Bond program works to improve, preserve, renovate and create amenities that touch citizen's lives- including roads, libraries, parks, recreation centers, child care sites, hospitals, public safety, City buildings and cultural facilities.

Editor Note: Photo Op

Visuals: Crowd, officials, construction equipment, banners, hard hats, and shovels.

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Media Contacts:

M. Celeste Jackson, 303 880 4503

Denver Public Library

Michele Majeune, 719 534 3505

Better Denver Bond Program