Help us craft a vision plan for a more accessible and sustainable future of the library’s grounds on July 31 and August 25. Both sessions will take place at 5 p.m. at the library.

We are working with TEN x TEN, a landscape architecture and urban design studio in Minneapolis. TEN x TEN will be on site to facilitate input from the community on opportunities and priorities from the library’s exterior spaces.

Impacts of climate change can be seen on the library’s site, most notably in the loss of three trees in the past year. Added to that, an ash tree at the bottom of the steps on Division Street is being treated for emerald ash borer, which may eventually need to be removed. Evidence of considerable erosion can be seen in the amount of soil washed down the Division Street steps with each rainfall. Frost heaving has already caused the concrete walkways leading from Washington Street to the library to crack and shift.

In addition to addressing these impacts, the vision plan seeks to reduce labor expenses and water use by minimizing or eliminating lawn, reducing pavement where feasible, and shading the space as much as possible to diminish summer heat accumulation. Additional goals include increasing access to outdoor spaces to gather for work, learning, play, and rest, improving access to and from the building, increasing ADA-accessible patio spaces to accommodate visitors of all ages and abilities, and addressing stormwater handling on site to reduce the amount of stormwater running into the river.