Public invited to June 21 groundbreaking celebration
After years of planning and work by the community, City of Gladstone and Clackamas County, construction on a new Gladstone Library is beginning this month. Residents of all ages are invited to help celebrate at an official groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for 2 p.m., Wednesday, June 21.
The celebration – with a speeches, groundbreaking with shovels and treats for all – will take place on the site of the new library at 525 Portland Ave., at the corner of Portland Avenue and Dartmouth Street in downtown Gladstone.
Construction on the library is beginning this month and is expected to be completed in summer 2024.
The new 6,000-square foot library has a master plan developed through a team effort between a community advisory task force, county staff and consultants. It is part of a county effort to bring a one-library, two-branch model to the Gladstone and Oak Lodge areas. Construction on the Oak Lodge Library, on the site of the former Concord School at 3811 SE Concord Road in Oak Grove, is expected to begin this fall.
The current Gladstone Library, across Dartmouth Street from the site of the new library, is small (only 5,100 square feet), with inadequate space and facilities to meet community needs today. The upgraded features at the new library will include flexible meeting space, designated areas for children and teens, an external book-drop, public computers, and work space for the Library Foundation.
More information about the library project is available online.
