Walla Walla accepts construction bid, approves $3M loan to fund library renovation
The Walla Walla Public Library renovation project will proceed with construction after several key financial pieces fell into place Wednesday, May 27.
The Walla Walla City Council awarded the project bid to Kennewick-based Banlin Construction, whose bid amount came in at just under $10.4 million.
The city updated the scope of the project after the first call for bids resulted in only one bid, which was higher than the engineer's estimate. The second call was more competitive, garnering five bids, of which Banlin's was the lowest.
With the updates, Banlin will have more working days to get the project done and more flexibility with material changes. Construction will begin in mid-June and continue until July 2027.
The bid amount includes special bookcases and acoustic panels for the children's area of the library and special bookcases for the Pacific Northwest Collection, which will have a more prominent location in the library's design.
The City Council also approved a budget amendment for a $3 million loan that will be used to finance the project.
The loan comes from the city's vehicle equipment fund. Finance Director Liz Moeller said there is enough cash in that fund to cover upcoming vehicle purchases and offer the loan. The city will also pay interest on the loan, so the vehicle fund will not lose that revenue.
Of the $3 million, "$2 million dollars of it is to support the project, which the general fund will pay back over 15 years, and $1 million is to cover outstanding revenue pledges and will be paid back with those revenue pledges once they are received," Moeller said.
The donation pledges are due at the end of 2027, when the project is complete. That piece of the loan will help cover costs in the meantime.
The loan dollars will be the last ones used to pay for construction.
The city will first use the $1 million set aside from the American Rescue Plan Act, $2 million in grants, $7 million from angel donors, donations from private foundations, and individual donations.
The fundraising campaign for the project hit a milestone Wednesday: surpassing $12.5 million raised toward the project, not including the loan.
The total fundraising goal is $16 million, and fundraising will continue throughout construction.
There will be a special donation opportunity at a library send-off event on Saturday, June 6. Visitors who make a donation of any amount will be able to write a message on the library's walls.
"Those walls will be further insulated over, but they will remain, so it's a time capsule," Library Director Heather Van Tassell said.
The event will also have free food, activities and a public surplus sale for furniture and fixtures.
The library has been slowly emptying over the last several weeks, as the collection is moved into city storage and the library's future temporary location.
The library will be fully closed June 1-5 for moving. After the send-off event, the library will reopen in the temporary location at the Washington Federal Bank Building, 115 W. Main St., on Monday, June 8.
The library is being renovated to create a more modern, welcoming and flexible layout, as well as to improve safety.
The project will add a new great hall entrance where visitors from both Alder and Poplar will see the circulation desk upon entering the building. The project will also add dedicated programming space; unify staff areas; relocate the bathrooms inside the building; and include improvements to the children's library.
"In a city such as Walla Walla, without a dedicated community center, the library really fills that role," Van Tassell said.
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 10:19 PM.