A review of the library groundbreaking

The site of the new La Conner Swinomish Library hosted some exciting milestones this past month: The Library Thrift shop building was removed, the site cleared, groundbreaking ceremony held and now construction is underway with building completion expected next summer.

We wish to thank everyone who celebrated the groundbreaking with us and express our gratitude for the outpouring of community support and attendance. Many thanks to the leaders who spoke and helped to express our feelings about this day.

Representative Dave Paul, 10th District, shared, “We know that our state is stronger when we invest in our communities and I’m proud that this new library will directly contribute to quality of life in La Conner. It is a testament to the hard work of the library board and staff, volunteers, town leaders and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community.”

Mayor Hayes stated, “If it weren’t for the volunteers, if it weren’t for the Foundation, if it weren’t for the Swinomish tribe, if it weren’t for the county, if it weren’t for Representative Dave Paul, none of this would be possible today. I would like us all to give the biggest cheer and round of applause for all of us, because the community made this happen.”

Commissioner Wesen shared, “I remember the first meeting I had with the [library] board, trying to figure out how we can get the money to make this happen. This is a community project and a lot of good projects have happened here in La Conner because of everybody coming together, working on a goal and making it happen.”

Chairman Edwards of the Swinomish Tribe addressed the crowd, saying, “Thank you for gathering today and allowing us to partner with you for our community. The library is a shared space, just like the land and the water. These are shared spaces. We can all gather, we can tell stories, we can share stories. These are important places, not just for us today, but for our future generations to come.”

While we enjoy the visible progress which will be happening at the site of the new library, the current library will remain open and available for all your library needs. Library open hours are: Monday-Friday 11a.m.-5p.m. and Saturday 9a.m.-1p.m.