The Conifer library will move from the high school to these now-vacant spaces at Conifer Town Center next year. Credit: Jefferson County Library District

Conifer’s long-awaited, free-standing library will be at the Conifer Town Center, in the same shopping center that houses Safeway. The library will occupy 5,540 square feet of now-vacant, ground-level space at 27122 Main St., near the Venue Theatre. It is tentatively slated to open in summer 2025, according to the library district.

The Jefferson County Public Library board authorized a lease agreement for the 5,540-square-foot space July 18 and also approved a contract with an architect to design the space.

It’s sweet news for many in the Conifer community, who have pushed for their own library for years. Conifer is the only library in Jefferson County that doesn’t have its own building.

For the last 28 years, the library has been housed at Conifer High School, where the facility is shared with students and staff, and access is limited to non-school hours.

“I didn’t realize when I first moved here in 2005 that there even was a Conifer library because of its location,” said Christy Seabourne, treasure of the Conifer Area Council. “I remember doing story times with my kids and having to go to Evergreen or down the hill.

“It’ll be really nice to have a place we can go during the day, with a bit easier accessibility (than the current library). And using space that’s already there is fantastic.”

A 2021 Conifer Area Council survey found that 93% of respondents wanted a full-service library in a separate building with longer and more convenient hours, easier access than the steps that lead to the high school, and better parking.

The new site delivers all those things.

“It’s exciting to be moving forward with a location,” said JCPL spokesperson Elise Pennington. “It was a very thorough process. The site we chose is in a highly trafficked area, with easy access and lots of good parking. It’ll be a great improvement for people.”

CAC board member Punky Kiefer, a longtime advocate for the library, agrees.

“I love the location they chose,” she said. “It gives us morning story times, daytime hours, group meeting places — really everything we asked for. They really took to heart what the community said they wanted. It’s just turned out so great. I’m just wholly grateful for it all.”

Keifer worked at the Conifer branch from 2000 to 2010 and occasionally attended meetings at other branches. That sparked her drive to help Conifer get its own free-standing branch.

“I got to see what Conifer didn’t get, and I didn’t see why we couldn’t have those things,” she said. “We became part of the library system in 1954; we all pay the same taxes for the library, but we never had a building.”

Conifer’s library closed with the high school with the start of the pandemic in 2020. As other libraries began re-opening, Conifer’s remained closed.

“Conifer couldn’t open until the school opened,” Kiefer said. “We had to go by the school’s rules. That really triggered me.”

At Kiefer’s urging, CAC conducted its 2021 library survey and used those results to further advocate for a free-standing branch.

In early 2022, Jeffco Public Schools decided to change school start times for the 2023-24 academic year, a move that would further restrict Conifer’s public library hours. In response, JCPL added the Conifer library to its 2023 strategic plan and conducted its own community engagement survey in 2023.

With the space secured, JCPL will move forward with design and construction, and a tentative mid-2025 opening.

Conifer High School Principal Greg Manier said the school supports the move, and is grateful for its nearly three-decade partnership with JCPL.

“Our students have all benefitted from the resources provided through our partnership,” he said. “As the Conifer community has evolved over time, so have the needs of all our stakeholders. We recognize this incredible opportunity and the benefits it will provide for a wide range of our residents. We support JCPL and all the community members who made this opportunity possible.”

Kiefer credits that ongoing community support for the recent decision.

“We don’t have any government representation up here; there is no city council or mayor,” Kiefer said. “We have a bunch of volunteers.

“The library administration is very welcoming and enthusiastic about building the library now, and I’m thrilled. It wouldn’t have happened without the community’s input.”

JCPL is expected to pay $767,000 for the 10-year lease. The contract with Eppstein Uhen Architects shows a proposed $173,300 cost.

~The Canyon Courier

Future Conifer library site chosen - Canyon Courier

Conifer’s long-awaited, free-standing library will be at the Conifer Town Center, in the...

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