Library renovations begin
American Canyon residents may soon be able to visit a newly renovated library branch.
The American Canyon Library on Crawford Way is closed this month while a $400,000-plus makeover is underway. That includes a new $25,000 front door, compliant with the American with Disabilities Act.
The library, which closed Dec. 1, is scheduled to reopen on Jan. 5.
The remodeling project includes repainting the interior space and external signage, replacing furniture, computers and flooring and updating bathrooms.
The property had not undergone renovations since 2012, the year the library branch moved to the 5,000-plus-square-foot building, which previously housed American Canyon’s City Hall.
The library, a division of the Napa County Library system, moved to its current premises from leased space in Canyon Plaza, the nearby shopping center. That space was too small for the growing city, library representatives said at the time.
The building on Crawford Way still belongs to the city of American Canyon. The city is managing the remodeling contract while Napa County Library is paying for it, Anthony Halstead, Napa County director of library services, said in an email.
The project is funded through capital improvement money.
“Each year, we put a certain amount of money into capital fund accounts because we know that buildings need updates, furniture needs replacing, etc.,” Halstead said. “When those times come, we can fund the projects necessary to maintain a quality space that’s inviting to the public.”
Generally, the library plans to replace furniture and carpeting every decade. “But with Covid, we did not begin working on a refresh for American Canyon, or any other location, until we felt that we understood the changes in user expectations around public spaces,” Halstead said.
The library building, which was once a bank, housed the city hall for years. However, the building was too small to house most city departments. For years, city council and other public meetings took place at the recreation center on Elliott Drive.
American Canyon library branch opened on Crawford Way in 2012 after City Hall moved to its current location off Broadway/Highway 29 near Napa Junction.
