Chelan Library readies for a refresh — temporary closure begins Oct. 20

CHELAN — The Chelan Public Library will go quiet for a while so it can come back brighter. NCW Libraries announced a temporary closure starting Monday, Oct. 20, to make interior improvements guided by a year of local input, with an anticipated reopening in early summer 2026.

“We’re excited to reimagine the Chelan Library based on the priorities we heard directly from our community,” said Vivian Edwards, Supervising Librarian of the Chelan and Manson Libraries. “We are also grateful for the recent reopening of the Manson Library, which offers a glimpse of what’s ahead for Chelan. We encourage everyone to visit the Manson Library during construction to see the kind of fresh, welcoming space we will be creating in Chelan.”

The $591,609 project focuses on comfort, flexibility, and quiet — the kinds of changes residents asked for during community meetings, pop-ups, and surveys that drew feedback from 188 Chelan-area participants in early 2024. Plans call for fresh paint and updated lighting, new computers and printers, and acoustic upgrades to bring the overall noise level down. Brand-new furniture will add a mix of seating styles, with a larger children’s area designed for hands-on learning and flexible programs, a dedicated teen zone with study space, computers, and its own collection, and a quiet adult reading area with new lounge seating and refreshed finishes. Shelving will be reconfigured to keep a robust browsing collection while improving the flow, and cozy touches like area rugs will complement the building’s floors.

In a nod to frugality and sustainability, the library will retain the sturdy shelving donated in 2005, retrofitting many units with casters so staff can reconfigure spaces as programs and seasons change. The building itself is owned by the City of Chelan; NCW Libraries is making the interior investment as part of its system-wide Reimagining Spaces Project.

While the doors are closed, staff will run a pop-up library with a small browsing collection, holds pickup, and public computer access so regulars can keep their reading lists moving and get online when they need to. Details on the pop-up’s hours and location will be shared later this month.

The Chelan upgrade is one in a wave of improvements across NCW Libraries — a $10 million district-wide effort to keep branches safe, welcoming, and responsive to how people actually use them today. Interior updates have already been completed in Brewster, Curlew, Peshastin, Royal City, Soap Lake, Winthrop, and Wenatchee.

“Libraries are more than buildings – they are gathering places, learning spaces, and community hubs,” Edwards added. “This project is about making sure the Chelan Library continues to be all of those things and more for generations to come.”

Residents can follow the Chelan Library and NCW Libraries websites for pop-up details and construction updates as the project gets underway.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media