October 2026 Construction Update

Last month the underground plumbing and electrical work was completed and the slab was poured and finished, so now we are finally seeing more vertical progress at the new library construction site on Maple Avenue. Structural steel for the east half of the building went up in mid-October and delivery of the steel for the west half is expected very soon. We should see that go up starting at the end of the month or at the start of November, depending on the weather.

Drilling of the geothermal wells began in September, and has continued with some intermittent pauses so equipment could be replaced. As of October 28th, drilling of the 13th of 21 total wells was underway and is expected to continue for a few more weeks. The geothermal well field is being installed under what will the new library's parking lot.

There is always a lot of work happening behind the scenes. Submittals from contractors for every element of the project -- details concerning things like the elevator hoistway, millwork plans, stairs components, EV charger specification, etc. -- are steadily being received and reviewed by the design and construction team. Temporary and permanent utility connections is being coordinated with utility companies. Library staff are currently reviewing the interior paint plans, and also looking ahead to the future move.

We previously shared that a utility pole at the corner of Pine & Rush was expected to be relocated by the end of August. Some progress was made toward that with ComEd but the relocation efforts are still ongoing as of the end of October.

The new library building is expected to be completed by Fall of 2027.

For more details about the project, visit the Construction Project page, our FAQ page, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.