Wine and dance event held for library

MOSES LAKE - When the Moses Lake Library was built about 40 years ago, it was touted as a state-of-the-art facility with plenty of room for all.

The city had about 8,000 residents at the time, and the new building was by all accounts more than adequate to meet their needs.

But a few decades later the population had exploded to more than 22,000 and was putting a strain on the building's capacity, according to members of the Moses Lake Library Foundation (MLLF). The area's growing Russian and Latino community needed more bilingual resources, and a new emphasis on youth reading brought a lot more children's programs into the space.

Ellie Webb recalls bringing her grandchildren in for summer programs around this time. She says she marvelled at the pressure put on the library's staff to maintain some level of decorum with dozens of kids milling about.

"This building, which is a giant open space, it's not conducive to having a puppet show and a guest author while people are trying to use the computer and actually read," she said. "It became obvious the library wasn't going to be able to continue serving Moses Lake."

About six years ago, the MLLF was created to come up with a plan.

Webb, who became the organization's funding coordinator, says they looked at building something new versus expanding on the existing structure, and opted for the latter. They solicited an architect and selected a viable concept from several designs.

The expansion and necessary infrastructure upgrades won't come cheap - the MLLF estimates the project will cost between $7 and $9 million - but the group is hopeful they can raise the money through a mix of private and public funding sources.

Meanwhile, Connie Kuhlmann is on the front lines of dealing with the library's limitations. For the past eight years she's worked in Moses Lake as the regional manager for the North Central Regional Library system.

She said the library has inadequate facilities for disabled and elderly users, and a burgeoning demand for the latest computer technology is stretching the building's antiquated electrical system to its limits.

"The building was never intended to provide the electricity needed for this amount of technology," she said, pointing to a growing bank of computers. "We have surge protectors everywhere."

She'd like to see restrooms for family and disabled use as well as a glass-walled space for children's programs, so kids can raise their voices above a whisper while within eyesight of their parents.

"The city is doing the best they can with what resources they have here, but it's time to upgrade," she said.

To help in this endeavor, the MLLF is inviting residents to "Book a Night with the Library" this Friday from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center. Attendees can sample a variety of local wines and dance to live music by Swing Shift, all to benefit the cause of expanding and upgrading the Moses Lake Library.

Tickets are $25 per person and are available at Andrew's Hallmark Shop or Art Garden in downtown Moses Lake.

The event is the MLLF's first major fundraiser, and Webb said the main purpose of the event - besides raising money, of course - is to get feedback from the public on what they'd like to see in a newly designed space, and to celebrate the existing one.

"We wanted to do a celebration of the library because people here are very passionate about this building and this library," she said. "We love our library, but now it's time for it to grow."

For more information on the "Book a Night With the Library" event, or to donate to the cause, visit www.mlplf.org.