ROYAL CITY — The new Royal City Public Library filled the house during its grand opening July 12. Susan Piercy, president of the Friends of the Royal City Library, said it was a great day. 

“It was full. It was packed,” Piercy said. 

The Friends of the Library raised the money for the new library, which, at about 4,000 square feet, is more than three times the size of the former library.  

The additional space has allowed for expansion of the children’s section, the Spanish-language section and the computer space. The new library also has a community meeting room, something that just didn’t fit in the old library, which was about 1,100 square feet.  

All that space will allow the library to expand its book and movie collections over time, Piercy said.  

Royal City residents and members of the Friends group began working on the project in 2019, according to previous Columbia Basin Herald stories. The COVID-19 pandemic derailed the campaign; the Friends group, undaunted by circumstance, resumed its fundraising campaign in 2021.  

The fundraising drive took a while to get going, but by 2023, the group had started to raise money in earnest. 

“And then it just kept rolling,” Piercy said.  

The project benefited from a series of grants from the Paul Lauzier Foundation, totaling $500,000 over three years. Total project cost was not available at press time.  

Royal City is part of NCW Libraries, which operates libraries throughout Grant, Okanogan, Douglas and Chelan counties. The buildings are owned by the city where the library is located, and NCW Libraries supplies the books, other materials and staff. The Friends group spearheaded the effort to build the new facility. 

Piercy’s husband, Gary, served as the project manager. 

“He volunteered 100% of his time as a contractor,” Susan said.  

The Friends of the Library are happy with the results, she said. 

“We were very, very pleased,” Susan said. 

    The grand opening of the new Royal City library drew a packed house.
  

    The woman browses the Spanish-language shelves during the Royal City library grand opening.
  

    At least one Royal City library patron couldn’t wait until checkout to start reading his book.
  

    Susan Piercy, President of the Friends of the Royal City Library, and her husband Gary. Susan Piercy led the drive to raise funds for the new library, and Gary Piercy volunteered as the general contractor.