Muckleshoot Library opens to good reviews

Scanning the interior of King County’s newest library, Auburn’s Laura Marshall gave it high marks – plenty of space, scores of computer terminals, eye-catching artwork and of course, books.

“Sure beats the old one,” Marshall said. “This is great.”

Cradled in mama’s left arm, 7-month-old Kenna Marshall looked unimpressed. But the people

who built this library had little ones like Kenna in mind, too.

Mother and daughter were among the 150 people who showed up Wednesday to watch tribal members and King County Library officials dedicate the $4 million, 6,000-square-foot Muckleshoot Library at 17102 S.E. 400th St., off the Auburn-Enumclaw Highway. Built to serve the needs of the Muckleshoot Tribe and surrounding community, the library is roughly six times the size of its 40-plus-year-old predecessor in the Tribal School on 172nd Avenue Southeast.

Joseph Martin, assistant tribal operations manager for education, explained why this particular library matters so much. Last week, he noted, 114 tribal members earned their degrees in higher education, 47 students graduated from the Head Start program, 24 graduated from Tribal School kindergarten, 12 from the eighth grade and 26 earned their high school degrees.

This “new house of knowledge” Martin said, will help build on that success.

“It’s going to mean the world to all of us, but I see this as an intellectual gathering place for the future of this community,” Martin said.

The new library features a number of pleasing and useful amenities that would have seemed like science fiction in the old library, like large windows in the reading area, children’s and teen areas and a community meeting room with a sliding door that allows the room to be used as part of the larger library when programs are not in process there.

Relying heavily on tribal input, the architect, Miller-Hull Partnership, designed the building like a traditional Native American long house.

Architect Ruth Coates described some of the more subtle touches.

“Our landscape architects did a lot of research into the plants that were important to the tribe over generations – cedar, swordfern and a whole host that were used for medical and cultural purposes over generations, and those were planted on site,” Coates said.

“… On the concrete outside is an abstraction from a Muckleshoot basket weave,” Coates said.

Two artworks created by tribal members grace the walls: James Madisen’s metal canoe and a paddle carved by Al Charles.

Tribal Council member John Daniels appreciated the elbow room.

“Right now the library that we are moving from is so small that we have to travel to the Auburn or Enumclaw libraries to relax or move around. I think a lot of people are going to be happy with the size and the fact that it is modern and has some tribal artwork,” Daniels said.

Funding comes from a $172 million library capital bond, which voters approved in September 2004 to pay for major improvements at King County libraries during the next 10 years.

Planning began in March 2005 and progress continued until problems were encountered, most notably the discovery of stone flakes and other evidence of Native American activity on the proposed construction site.

Archaeologists examined the property that KCLS is leasing from the Tribe in May 2007 for additional artifacts. The main contractor, BN Builders, Inc. started work last August.

Tribal Chairwoman

Charlotte Williams recalled the far-off days when the tribe’s only building was the community center, which sat on a quarter acre of land. Back then, she said, the King County Library System sent out a Bookmobile.

“Some of us have seen lot of progress over the years, and now we have come to a state-of-the-art library in a community built on tribal lands,” Williams said with quiet pride.

“The Muckleshoot Tribe believes in investing in the people,” Williams said, “and one way we can invest in the people is through education. That’s probably one of the best investments we can make.”

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