After nearly two years of hard work and seeking input from a variety of stakeholders, the Sno-Isle Libraries has completed its capital facilities plan and has scheduled a number of community meetings to share the plan with the communities it serves.
The capital facilities plan, Libraries for the 21st Century, will guide the Library Districts capital investments from 2007 to 2025 and will help the district continue to provide convenient access to materials, offer expert assistance, provide services for youth, deliver technology and information, and serve an important role contributing to the community health of the two-county service area.
Because of the growing demand on the libraries and the multitude of services they provide, the capital facilities plan calls for all libraries in the district to be renovated, expanded or replaced with larger facilities.
For Arlington, the plan calls for the facility to be increased from its current 5,055-square-feet to 20,000-square-feet by 2025. The plan also calls for increased space for collections and holds, additional public computer stations, multi-purpose room for library programming and community use, increased reading and study areas, conference and group study rooms, dedicated childrens area, dedicated teen area, additional parking and larger staff workspace.
For Marysville, the plan calls for the existing 23,700-square-feet of facility space to be expanded to 34,000-square-feet by 2025 with an additional 13,000-square-feet of facility space in Lakewood by 2025. The plan also calls for increased space for collections and hold as well as a multi-purpose room for library programming and community use.
In Darrington, the plan calls for the current 2,250-square-feet to be expanded to 4,000-square-feet as well as additional public computer stations, multi-purpose room for library programming and community use, increased reading and study areas, dedicated teen area and larger staff workspace.
The completion of the Sno-Isle Libraries capital facilities plan is a great start to ensure that our local libraries will be able to meet the growing and changing demands of our communities well into the future. But the plan is just the beginning, it will take a community-wide effort to bring that plan to fruition. Without broad public support, the plan will not move forward. To ensure that the plan is implemented, we all must become involved and one of the ways to do that is to attend the community meeting at which the capital facilities plan will be discussed.
The local informational meeting about the Sno-Isle Libraries capital facilities plan is slated for June 4, beginning at 7 p.m., at the Arlington Boys and Girls Club, 18513 59th Ave. NE. Residents of Marysville, Lakewood, Arlington and Darrington should plan to attend and learn what the Sno-Isle Libraries have planned for our communities in the future. If you are unable to attend the meeting, you can view the Sno-Isle Libraries capital facilities plan at www.sno-isle.org/page/?ID=2900.

To contact a member of The Marysville Globe/Arlington Times editorial board
Kris Passey or Scott Frank e-mail forum@premier1.net.