On June 12, 2023, Multnomah County Library held a groundbreaking ceremony for the highly anticipated approximately 95,000+ square foot East County Library in Gresham.
In attendance were Multnomah County Library Director Vailey Oehlke; Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson; Multnomah County District 4 Commissioner Lori Stegmann; Director and Chief Information Officer of the Department of County Assets Tracey Massey; Gresham Mayor Travis Stovall; and TriMet General Manager Sam Desue, Jr.
The groundbreaking ceremony began with a land acknowledgment and blessing performed by members of Native American Rehabilitation Association Northwest (NARA NW), including Sam Graywolf, Mohawk; Michele Pinkham, Nez Perce; and Krystie Holder, Chinook/Grand Ronde.
Sam Graywolf performing the land blessing at the East County Library groundbreaking ceremony
Image by Motoya Nakamura/ Multnomah County
Library Director Vailey Oehlke made the first remarks saying,
I can't emphasize enough that this is the community’s library. People like me, who work here, our job is to run it. But it belongs to the community. And so we spent a lot of time talking to a lot of people… To hear from them about what it is that's important to you in terms of this new library.
Left to right: Gresham Mayor Travis Stovall; Director of the Department of County Assets and Chief Information Officer Tracey Massey; Black Economic Collective Community Engagement Manager Terry Wattley; Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson; El Programa Hispano Católico Youth & Family Program Manager Sarai Rodriguez; NARA NW Chief Community Engagement & Development Officer SandeBea Allman; TriMet General Manager Sam Desue, Jr.; Library Director Vailey Oehlke.
Image by Motoya Nakamura/ Multnomah County
Also in attendance were NARA NW Chief Community Engagement & Development Officer, SandeBea Allman; El Programa Hispano Católico Youth & Family Program Manager, Sarai Rodriguez; and Black Economic Collective Community Engagement Manager, Terry Wattley.
Sarai and Terry participated in the Community Library Champions group, which formed as part of the East County Library design community engagement and design process. Alongside other East County residents, Sarai and Terry shared their vision and dreams for the new library.
“Just working with the team has been incredible for me as a Latina woman, as a mother, as a mystery book enthusiast, and as a member of the Gresham community. This is such an important project, and it's really awesome to be a part of all of it,” said Sarai Rodriguez.
Sarai Rodriguez speaking at the East County Library groundbreaking ceremony
Image by Motoya Nakamura/ Multnomah County
Terry concluded the ceremony by adding, "Being a part of this project is all about legacy and history, which is what Black Economic Collective is all about. It will be great for our generation to look back and say, ‘We were part of that; we did something great, built something great in our community’, and know that we're leaving behind something that will be here long after we're gone, impacting our community in a positive way."
East County Library is scheduled to be completed in Fall 2025. The new building will include:
- A large auditorium with flexible seating
- A makerspace with room for classes to explore everything from robotics to construction to 3D printing
- An audio visual studio
- Outdoor space for community members to relax and connect
- New art that represents the community
Holst Architecture, a local women-owned firm, led the design process. Adjaye Associates contributed to the project through the design development phase.
In advance of the groundbreaking, on June 30, 2023, Multnomah County Library and TriMet finalized the library’s purchase of the former Gresham City Hall Park and Ride (1297 NW Eastman Pkwy, Gresham) from TriMet for use in building the East County Library.
Multnomah County Library and TriMet will work together with the City of Gresham to establish the vision for the civic space and the surrounding area. Construction will begin in early 2024 and is expected to be completed in Fall 2025.