ROYAL CITY — The golden shovels did their job Wednesday in Royal City as the Royal City Friends of the Library broke ground for the new library building downtown, tangible evidence of a dream a long time in the making.

“We began this process so many years ago, I'm not even sure what year it would probably be,” Friends of the Library President Susan Piercy said in her opening remarks. “I know that people were talking about a large building in 2018. In 2019, our mayor Kent Anderson got together with WSU, and they came and they looked over the area that will be our future park combined with the library, and this looked like a good place to put it. So they put together some plans and we got started.”

Those plans were ambitious. The new building, designed by Complete Design in Wenatchee, will be about 4,000 square feet, with 630 square feet set aside for a children’s reading space and another 630 for a community meeting room. There will also be a space for teenagers to hang out and do their homework, and computers for those who don’t have access to them at home.

“We know that our town will use this facility in more ways than just checking out books,” Piercy said. “There will be so many opportunities for activities and growth. And the little children who are all running around here where this library is going to be, they'll see that come to fruition.”

Royal City, like all of Grant County, is part of the North Central Washington Libraries system, which is based in Wenatchee and also includes Chelan, Douglas, Ferry and Okanogan counties. The system has 30 libraries overall, and also two bookmobiles to bring library access to remote areas.

The groundbreaking was attended by the Friends of the Library themselves, as well as a fair number of local community members. Royal School District Superintendent Roger Trail brought the shovels, which he’d spray-painted gold in his garage, he said.

Piercy took a few minutes to thank various members of the community and representatives of NCW Libraries, including city Finance Director Shilo Christensen, soon-to-be-former Mayor Kent Anderson, and NCW Libraries Executive Director Barbara Walters, who was in town for the ceremony.

“I don't want to pass up the opportunity for a shout-out to our former librarians Shannon Stewart, Tim Hoelscher and Jessica Rosez,” Piercy said, adding that Stewart had started as a librarian in 1987. Rosez stepped down as head librarian earlier this month, according to the library’s social media.

The current Royal City Library, about half a block west and across the street from the site of the new building, was built in 1957 and is only 1,200 square feet, according to county records. The new building will be sizable for a town like Royal City. At the 2020 census, Royal City had a population of 1,776. Mattawa, nearly twice the size at 3,335 people, has a library of 2,040 square feet, while the Warden library has 2,100 square feet to serve 2,449 people. Royal City’s building will more closely rival Ephrata’s, which has 5,128 square feet to serve a population of 8,477.

“A lot of people don't understand how a small town would want a library any bigger than the one that we have,” Piercy said. “And those people have maybe not (been there) at all, or have not been there with more than five people. And that's about all you can get in there, standing.”

Joel Martin may be reached via email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.

Construction timeline…

(subject to change)

Sept. 27: Groundbreaking

October 2023: Excavation and footings; in-ground plumbing

November-December 2023: Floor and ICF wall pouring

Jan. 1, 2024: Roof (weather permitting)

March-December 2024: Interior work

Early 2025: Completion