North Kohala Public Library (artist rendering)

MEDIA RELEASE

The Bond Memorial Public Library (Big Island) in Kapaau, North Kohala, will be closed on Friday, April 24 so that library staff can assist and attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the Hawaii State Public Library System’s newest library – the North Kohala Public Library.

Invited guests will gather for the 12:30 p.m. ceremony on a 3.8 acre parcel of land donated by Surety Kohala Corporation located on Akoni Pule Highway, near the Kohala Elementary and High School, and the community’s main grocery store.  

The $7.8 million, 6,000 square foot North Kohala Public Library will replace Bond Memorial Public Library, a quaint 1,610 square foot Hawaiian-style building which has served the community of Kohala since January 1929.

Governor Linda Lingle released $5.8 million for the new library in February 2008, and $2 million in two prior allotments in 2005 and 2007.    

Construction of the North Kohala Public Library is expected to last about a year, and a grand opening is tentatively scheduled for 2010.

The North Kohala Public Library is designed by CDS International, and will showcase environmentally-friendly features that will earn it a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver certification.  Among the features are:

• A raised central roof with sloping ceilings to allow natural daylight and ventilation into the building
• Sill vents to allow natural ventilation on the building’s windward side
• Double-glazed windows throughout the building to minimize solar heat gain and glare which will lessen the use of the air-conditioning system
• Water catchments system for toilets and urinals
• Landscape grading and a retention basin to capture all runoff from the property
• Wind and photovoltaic energy systems to generate electrical power for the library

Among the highlights of the North Kohala Public Library include:

• A shelving capacity of 35,000 materials, or double the size of the current facility’s collection  
• A spacious circulation desk area with a state-of-the-art, self-check out system A total of 10 public computers, or twice the amount of the current facility, offering Internet access, word processing, database searching, and children’s entertainment
• A meeting room to host community gatherings, events, and library programs