For the past few weeks, patrons of the Mountlake Terrace Library have had to deal with getting around construction taking place directly outside the facility’s front door; now library visitors will face another obstacle as a temporary parking lot there will be off limits for almost two weeks.

The existing temporary parking lot, located a half-block north of the library, will be closed from Monday, Feb. 17, through Friday, Feb. 28, in conjunction with continuing construction of a regional stormwater infiltration facility. The temporary lot is needed for additional construction equipment: a large crane that will hoist and drop large pipe into the construction site, and conveyer belt machinery that will transport gravel down into the site.

The library will remain open regular hours during construction of the stormwater facility and the closure of the temporary parking lot. Library visitors are being advised to follow the posted signage and use the parking lot directly across 58th Avenue West from the library.

While the library’s temporary parking lot is expected to be open for general use again on March 1, construction of the stormwater facility will continue into summer.
The purpose of the new facility is to provide stormwater treatment and downstream flood control for a tributary area of about 13 acres in the city’s Town Center.

“Once completed, the facility will provide an immediate improvement to the water quality of storm runoff from streets and the other existing paved areas,” said Interim Engineering Services Director, Chad Schulhauser. The facility will also promote quality redevelopment within the downtown core by partially fulfilling the stormwater requirements of future developments.

Following installation of the underground stormwater facility, the parking lot will be rebuilt in a new configuration that city officials claim will increase the number of accessible and general-purpose parking spaces available to library visitors.