Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Davis Library reopening April 8, Little Falls Library could reopen in May

Little Falls Library
The Davis Library in Bethesda, now undergoing renovations, is scheduled to reopen on Saturday, April 8, 2017, at 10:00 AM. Little Falls Library - where renovations have been set back by a damaging flood in December - could open as early as May, according to County Department of General Services Director David Dise.

I went by both buildings in the last 48 hours, and it appears both are getting new shingles on their respective roofs. Flood remediation work at Little Falls is finally compeleted, Dise said. Little Falls branch manager Kenneth Lewis reports that carpets are now being laid, and the trench that was dug to replace the broken 4" water main is now being filled in. Dise said the staff at Little Falls will likely return a month earlier than the opening.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't wait for Little Falls library to reopen. Thank you very much for tracking this, and keeping us informed.

Anonymous said...

A waste of money. Little Falls will be replaced by a high-rise mixed-use project in just a few years, and Davis will no longer have any patrons after Montgomery Mall and Rockledge office park are abandoned.

weski said...

Can't wait, hate going to Bethesda, out of my way and a pain to pay for parking while just dropping off books.

Anonymous said...

With the big book stores all closing, the public libraries would do well to relax their rules against eating and drinking - maybe even put in a coffee bar.

As I understand it, the refresh project is basically new paint and carpet plus:

a new area for children
increased seating space with power for electronic devices
two collaborative work spaces
lounge seating in several areas
renovated gender neutral restrooms
digital signage

Old timers might recognize the Davis Library from 50 years ago in this video


https://youtu.be/o_N7QtlwwiA

Anonymous said...

In the opening sequence, the young girl is running up Montauk Ave toward Bells Mill Road - crosses the Davis Library and you get a glimpse of the WJ football field circa 1965

https://archive.org/details/TheLibraryAPlaceForDiscovery

Rugby said...

12:55 PM You're right.
Rockville was smart having their new library as an anchor to their town square, rather than a book store.

Anonymous said...

Yes - Once Barnes & Noble closes, there will be a gaping hole in Bethesda Row.

Anonymous said...

If B&N does leave, it would make a great space to move the Bethesda library to. Rockville and SS have libraries of that style, and they work quite well.

Then the Bethesda library space can be merged with the adjacent Freeland park to make a huge park space for public events. There is no such outdoor space in Bethesda, while Rockville and SS both have them.

However, I heard the Bethesda B&N is one of their best performing stores, so it may be a while. I know I had to wait behind 5 other people in line a few weekends ago to buy books.

Anonymous said...

I doubt the County would be willing to pay what it would take to acquire the B&N property from Federal Realty. With the Purple Line coming, a Nike store might be a possibility. Some have suggested a food court, but there are enough dining options already. Maybe a DSW show store.

Anonymous said...

"With the Purple Line coming, a Nike store might be a possibility."

I just heard a very high-pitched sound, almost, but not quite out of the range if my hearing... and suddenly all the dogs are barking.

Anonymous said...

Could the County just lease the property on a long-term lease? I assume they do that in Rockville, but I could be wrong.

More likely, they'd do a land swap like they did for the new police station, and hand over half the current library property to a developer to build condos... which will face staunch opposition from the residents of neighboring Edgemoor... so nothing will ever happen and my dream will never become a reality.