SUNRIVER, OR -- After six years of planning and almost a year of renovations, the Sunriver Library reopens to the public Tuesday. Deschutes Public Library Director Todd Dunkelberg says the original facility was built in 1998, "And, actually, as we got in to renovate it, we became even more aware of why it needed to be renovated. There were some conditions in there that we definitely needed to fix; some we didn't know about. We had a lot of birds nesting inside the building."

He tells KBND News, "That building has always been kind of a challenge for us, the way it was laid out. It really wasn't designed with its own children's area. And, since we build that building, over 25 years ago, the number of families with kids has definitely grown in that area. So, we're really excited. Now, it has a very distinct children's area." Dunkelberg says there are also dedicated study rooms and other new amenities, "We were able to reconfigure the public gathering space, so it's part of the main library now, and is easily accessible. And really just made for a much more efficient lay-out of the building."

And, there is quite a bit of new infrastructure. Dunkelberg says, "It's not the most exciting part of all this, but really, getting in there and replacing all the air conditioning and heating units, the water boilers, just everything so that we know that building is going to be highly functional, at least for the next 25 years."

The project was paid for through a bond passed by voters in 2020. 

This week is more of a soft opening, with more to come next month, "We are planning for a big celebration on September 14th for a grand opening." That ribbon cutting event at the Sunriver Library is from noon to 2pm, and also includes live music and a balloon artist.