On a crisp fall Saturday morning, more than 100 people gathered on a Mount Vernon road eagerly awaiting for the doors to the new city library to open. Some were so excited they brought their library cards so they could check out books.
City council members, two mayors, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell and Rep. Rick Larsen, spoke to a crowd of community members about the impact the Library Commons project will have on Mount Vernon.
“This is a project of unparalleled civic pride,” former mayor and project administrator Jill Boudreau said. “That for a small city of 36,000 people, we are disadvantaged economically, but we persist and we could build a building with so much meaning and so many firsts.”
The size of half a city block, the Library Commons is the largest project in Mount Vernon’s history. The $53 million project not only features the largest children’s library collection north of Seattle, but a community kitchen and a parking garage with 76 public charging spots for electric vehicles.
Because of the garage’s proximity to Skagit Station, people will be able to park and either catch the bus or train to their final location. It’s that transit-focused idea that allowed nearly half the project to be funded through a loan from the United States Department of Transportation. The $26.8 million loan, part of the first-ever Transit Oriented development loan program for rural areas, helped the city save about $3 million on the project.
“Having a library, public restrooms, a community center, and a kitchen all under one roof — and only steps away from Skagit Station — will be a game-changer for the people of Mount Vernon,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a May 2024 news release.
While Buttigieg was not at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Christopher Coes, the USDOT Acting Under Secretary of Transportation for policy in the office, attended and applauded Mount Vernon for leading rural America in electrification for vehicles.
“People want to be able to walk to the library, they want to walk to shops, they want to be able to get around,” he said. “We recognize that people are demanding more rural development and this is an example that will be a national model for years to come.”
The rest of the project, which in actuality cost $61 million because of supply and construction costs, was funded through community, city, county and state funding. No taxes had to be imposed on the people of Mount Vernon to fund the project.
The hope is that the new library commons building will be able to last between 75 and 100 years, similar to the Skagit County Courthouse that sits across from the building. The library and parking garage also make use of climate-friendly materials, such as sustainable concrete, a solar array on the roof and a naturally ventilated garage.
Julie Blazek, from Mount Vernon-based HKP Architects, said that the sustainability element of the library commons will save taxpayers money in the future.
“It also makes this building healthier, more comfortable and available for shelter in extreme temperature events,” she said. “There are so many incredible sustainable features that this project will be a destination for other architects, engineers, builders, students and interested public people to come and tour.”
Inside the library, children rushed to the new play area while teenagers made their way to the teen room that will eventually host a PlayStation 5 and Xbox. Adults milled around the stacks, asking library staff questions and admiring the fish-scale-like decoration of the wall near the water fountains — a tribute to salmon.
Denise Hollister, who lives in rural Skagit County, regularly comes to Mount Vernon to shop at the Skagit Valley Food Co-op and the Riverside Health Club.
“I thought this was going to be just a parking lot,” she said. “I am so glad that they put in a library.”
The Mount Vernon Library Commons, located at 208 W Kincaid St., will reopen to the public later in October after final construction is finished.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
