With the announcement that the Cedar River Library would be closing this weekend for construction, questions have arisen regarding the construction schedule, the placement of fences and effects of the construction on events at Liberty Park, such as River Days.
This week, the city gave a little more detail on the plans and said that a deal has been worked out with the contractor to make sure the pedestrian bridge at the library will be open for the weekend-long event.
Sunday marks the final day the Cedar River library will be open to the public, as work is set to begin on the new facility, scheduled to pen in September 2015. During the closure, a temporary facility will be open at 64 Rainier Avenue South. The approximately 2,000-square-foot is located in the plaza at the corner of Rainer Avenue South and Airport Way.
When construction begins downtown, a fence will be set up around the library parking lot, which will be used for staging. The lot at the 200 Mill building will remain open, though during most of construction, the bridge will be closed.
A second fence will also be placed on the Liberty Park side of the building, blocking off a V-shaped section that reaches the length of the library to
to about where Cedar River Trail access is located in one direction and out toward the parking lot near the softball field backstop in the other.
According to the city the parking spaces in the lot along Bronson Way will “rarely” be affected.
According to Renton Facilities Director Peter Renner, a deal has been struck with the contractor for “something close to normal access” to the bridge during River Days.
During the event, the fence near the parking lot will be moved in to allow for River Days revelers to park in the 200 Mill lot and walk across the bridge to the park. The construction fences in the park will also be moved for the weekend.
A trail access detour is also planned for the Cedar Rive trail to get walkers, biker and hikers past the park.
According to Parks and Golf Course Director Kelly Beymer, the American with Disabilities Access ramps to the trails will remain open during construction, except for days when that construction makes it unsafe. A marked, temporary detour will also be created to take hikers over to Bronson Way and then back into Liberty Park around the Renton Community Foundation building.
Other activities planned during the day at the park may have some noise to contend with from construction, particularly in the early going through September while night time activities should not be affected.
A notice from the city also states that in addition to the restrooms in the Liberty Park Grandstand, the Liberty Park restrooms near the playground, normally closed, will be open during the day. Portable toilets will also be made available.
Correction: Parks and Golf Course Director Kelly Beymer’s name and title were wrong in the original version of this story. It has been corrected. We apologize for the error.
