Cashmere Public Library asks the community, ‘What makes Cashmere special?’

CASHMERE—As the Cashmere Public Library (CPL) plans its upcoming move into the nearby Riverside Center, it hosted a town hall meeting, calling on locals to visit its future location and provide important feedback on its many upcoming changes. 

Architect/Designer, Carolyn Carlberg, and NCW Libraries Executive Assistant, Tim Dillman, joined the CPL team in presenting their ongoing plans for the local library's short yet substantial move down the street. This included a detailed timeline of upcoming construction and the CPL’s grand reopening, set for around June 2025.

With the addition of all new furniture and resources, the CPL looks forward to a massive redesign of the local library’s overall atmosphere and educational capabilities. With such important changes underway, CPL and the NCW Libraries team want to focus on the community itself, asking locals important questions like, ‘What makes Cashmere special?’ 

Carlberg also asked attendees to share one aspect of the library they would choose to keep, one aspect they would create, and one aspect they would get rid of. 

Each attendee provided their thoughts on sticky notes, touching on similar themes like strong education, friendly people, and local agriculture. 

While the CPL and NCW Libraries team collected each attendee’s thoughts, Carlberg posted them onto a board, taking note of every idea and reading some aloud to capture a better sense of what’s important to the Cashmere community. Many attendees focused heavily on maintaining and expanding the CPL’s variety of extracurricular activities, while others sought to create more resources for Spanish speaking locals. However, the central idea that rang throughout each idea remained clear, putting the needs of the Cashmere community and its kids first in designing the library’s new facilities.

Attendees were then given the opportunity to directly impact the future of the library, providing their votes for the overall style and educational approach of CPL’s future location. 

For those unable to attend, an online survey containing the same questions is available until August 31 at https://www.surveyhero.com/c/gechsxuq.

To learn more about the Cashmere Public Library, NCW Libraries, and their many ongoing programs, visit ncwlibraries.org. 

Will Nilles: (509) 731-3211 or will@ward.media