High ceilings, a state-of-the-art lighting system, study area, community room with projector and drop-down screen and expanded computer, teen and children’s areas are among the new features at the newly remodeled Burbank Public Library.

The recent construction project added 2,000 square feet of space to the one-story building.

The $919,522 project included remodeling the interior and building the addition.

The 5,675-square-foot library at 875 Lake Road, near the crossroads of Ice Harbor Drive and Lake Road, provides library services to patrons in the Burbank and surrounding Walla Walla County areas.

Construction was expected to be completed in mid-September. A grand opening is scheduled in October.

G2 Construction of Kennewick was the general contractor. Brad Boler was the project manager, and Tyler Hatcher was the project superintendent.

FFA Architecture and Interiors of Portland did the design work.

Other key officials involved in the project included the district’s Executive Director Rhonda Gould, board Chairman Dave Dahlin and Burbank branch Supervisor Terri Jeffrey.

The Burbank Public Library is a neighbor of the Tri-Cities, sitting on its outskirts in nearby Burbank.

In the late 1980s, a Burbank branch was created in the Burbank schools and was later moved to another building on the west side of Highway 12.

In the mid-1990s, a plan to build a standalone library in Burbank Heights was formed. That building was completed in 1996.

In 2016, a plan to expand and remodel the Burbank library was set into motion to allow larger programming space, a community meeting room, reading areas and more working space for library staff.  The library enhances and expands literacy offerings and programming to the broader Tri-City community.

Walla Walla County Rural Library District owns and operates the library.

The district was established in 1972 with a permanent tax base and operates as an independent municipal corporation under state law.

The Walla Walla County Commission appoints members to the Library District Board of Trustees, each with a five-year term.

With an annual budget of $1.1 million, the district serves the 17,000 rural residents of unincorporated Walla Walla County and the city of Prescott with five community libraries and many online services offering digital content.