SEQUIM — North Olympic Library System staff and board trustees are exploring options to offer naming opportunities for elements of the planned remodel and expansion of the Sequim Library.
Rooms, pieces of equipment and technological upgrades are some of the ideas being discussed for the approximate $7.8 million project that could add about 3,000-plus square feet to the library built in 1983 at 630 N. Sequim Ave.
NOLS executive director Noah Glaude said at the trustees’ meeting May 26 that staff anticipate rolling out naming options this summer at about the same time that SHKS Architects is scheduled to provide more refined designs of the renovation/expansion.
According to meeting documents, library staff are considering options for naming opportunities to help offset costs for the project.
So far, NOLS — which oversees public libraries in Sequim, Port Angeles, Forks and Clallam Bay — has about $5.1 million, including $2 million from a state Department of Commerce Library Capital Improvement Program Grant, $2 million from NOLS’ Capital Reserves, an estate donation, individual donations and other sources.
Current naming proposals could add up to about $1 million if fulfilled, but Glaude said they could bump values up if desired by trustees.
They’re also applying for multiple grants, he added.
“We’re trying to find the right balancing point with this community fundraising amount,” he said.
A few options discussed included:
• A monthly pledge for one year totaling $250.
• Various amounts related to Sequim, i.e. lavender, elk, etc.
• Naming various rooms, such as the meeting room, conference room, outdoor stage, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
Glaude said library staff plan to approach previous donors to the project to see if they desire naming opportunities.
For future sizable donations and naming opportunities, he said those would go before the board of trustees following updates to policies last year.
Trustees are considering a large plaque for all donors and individual plaques for each named space, he said.
Glaude said they’ve seen sizable donations in the community, such as the Dungeness River Nature Center expansion/remodel project.
“There are folks with money wanting to support causes,” he said. “Sometimes they’re waiting for the right reason, and the library might be the right cause.”
Glaude said whether the board accepts a naming opportunity is up to them, per “Policy 5.17 Naming and Recognition.”
They can also withdraw a named area, such as if a donor becomes controversial.
For more about the Sequim project, visit nols.org/sequimlibraryproject.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
