Automatic Door Opener
COLFAX — Thanks to a $10,000 grant from the American Library Association and $4,000 contribution from the Village of Colfax, an automated door is now installed at the side entrance of the Colfax Municipal Building.
In small rural communities like Colfax, the library is a central hub for community resources. The Colfax Municipal Building, where the library is housed, is also a voting center, headquarters for Village administration, and important public meeting site. People with wheelchairs, walkers, strollers, and arms full of books will now find it much easier to enter the building.
The automated door is at the wheelchair ramp/side entrance of the building. A push button at the top of the ramp is installed on the rail.
Village Administrator Carrie Johnson sees this as one step toward making the Village environment more accessible: “When we include all members of our community, we only get stronger.”
The automated door is operational and ready for use. Library Director Lisa Bragg-Hurlburt hopes more improvements are in the works: “I’ve applied for the next round of this same ALA grant so we can improve the ramp and landing next. I hope to report more good news in the next couple of months.”
The Colfax Municipal Building has been a community hub since it was built in 1915. Almost $162,000 has been raised locally to further improve building accessibility with an elevator. For more information on the Elevator Project, visit www.colfaxpubliclibrary.org.
