NORTH KOHALA PUBLIC LIBRARY

A new $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.

A ground breaking ceremony was held on April 24, 2009. 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