Bellingham library’s Bellis Fair branch will expand when downtown site closes
Bellingham Public Library’s branch in the Bellis Fair mall will see a temporary expansion when the main location closes later this year for long-planned renovations, and the city’s goal of building-wide air conditioning is no longer on the books.
Temporary locations for story times, youth programming and other events are being considered for what is expected to be a yearlong closure of the downtown location, library officials said last week.
“The Bellis Fair expansion allows us to continue offering program and community gathering spaces while the Central (Avenue) library is being renovated,” Library Director Rebecca Judd said in a statement.
Closure of the library’s main location at 210 Central Ave. is now slated for late this year or early 2027, according to a recently updated construction timeline.
The $8.5 million remodeling project is in the design phase. It’s the second part of a modernization plan that began in 2020, when the building was closed to the public because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to previous reporting by The Herald.
An exact date for the closing hasn’t been set. Completion of the project is expected by late 2027.
The second phase of construction will include a renovation and expansion of the downstairs, revamping the multipurpose room and adding space to the children’s section to make it more open and welcoming.
Heating, ventilation and cooling improvements are also part of the project, but an original plan to add air conditioning to the entire building is no longer part of the upcoming project, according to the statement.
“While the library initially hoped to provide air conditioning throughout the building, the current budget and existing electrical and HVAC systems make this infeasible. Instead, updates will repair and enhance the existing system to improve heating and ventilation, with targeted air conditioning in contained areas, like the multipurpose room,” the statement says.
