FVRLibraries set to break ground on Washougal library next summer

FVRLibraries will begin construction on a 13,000-square-foot library facility in downtown Washougal next summer.

“We are thrilled to move the project forward for the community of Washougal,” FVRLibraries Executive Director Jennifer Giltrop said. “We know that the current facility is not serving the needs of that community that has grown tremendously since that facility opened in 1981. It’s been a long time coming.”

FVRLibraries allocated $4 million in its 2026 budget to the $18 million project, which will start in the summer of 2026 and finish by late 2027 or early 2028, Giltrop said. The library system previously put $5 million into a reserve fund for the project, which received a $2.2 million grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce earlier this year.

The Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation and the Friends of the Washougal Community Library group have raised a combined $1 million through various fundraising events over the past several years.

“We’re very excited this is going forward sooner rather than later,” said Cindy O’Mealy, president of the Friends of the Washougal Community Library group. “The state grant was a big plus. When we got that, it made us think that this was really going to happen.”

The project received another major boost when voters approved FVRLibraries’ levy lid lift request in August. FVRLibraries committed to continuing the project if its request was approved.

“That was a promise in the campaign, and we will deliver on that promise,” Giltrop said.

Fundraising efforts will continue to cover the project’s nonconstruction expenses, Giltrop said.

“Worst-case scenario, we are short $5.8 million, and we would have to fill the gap out of our operating funds in 2027 and 2028,” Giltrop said. “But the goal is to work with our friends and foundation to mitigate that.”

“We do need more money and will continue our fundraising efforts,” O’Mealy added. “We’re not giving up yet.”

The new facility — about 10 times bigger than Washougal’s current 2,300-square-foot library — will have dedicated areas for different age groups and more seating for various activities, Giltrop said.

The library, a key feature of the city of Washougal’s ongoing Downtown Revitalization Project, will increase foot traffic, economic development and a sense of community in the downtown area, Giltrop said.

“Washougal is such a wonderful community with so much going on right now, and the library will be a significant anchor in the downtown,” she said. “I think that so many people that live in the area still really don’t know there’s a library there, and even if they did, it may not be serving their needs. This is going to be a huge improvement to the area and a great community hub.”

The project is being designed by Portland-based Hacker Architects, which unveiled renderings in 2022.