Penrose Library at 20 N. Cascade Ave., the Pikes Peak Library District’s oldest location, will close for two months starting Feb. 1 for what officials describe as an overdue facelift.

Built in 1968, the flagship of the 16-branch system has not been refreshed in years, said Chief Librarian and CEO Teona Shainidze-Krebs.

“I’m very excited; it’s going to be so much better,” she said. “It warms my heart.”

The project also will allow the venerable facility to make safety and security upgrades throughout this year, said Michael Brantner, the library district’s chief safety, community resources and security officer. In recent times, the library has experienced cases of trespassing, vandalism, theft, fighting and intrusion into the facility.

The presence of methamphetamine residue in restrooms discovered at Penrose last February led to library closure and remediation.

The first phase of the remodeling project necessitates being closed to the public, which is expected to last about eight weeks, said Brantner.

Initial work will lower the height of existing bookshelves and rearrange them to give an open and more contemporary look and feel, he said. The changes also will provide more visibility, easier access to reach books and additional room for materials, Brantner said.

“The top shelf is empty because it’s so high, most patrons can’t reach it,” he said. “The same with the lowest shelf — it’s bare.”

That portion of the project is expected to cost $90,000 to $95,000, Shainidze-Krebs said, adding that modifying the shelves will save about three-fourths of the $400,000 expense it would have cost to purchase new units.

Employees who work at Penrose Library will stay on the job, helping with the interior reconfiguration and temporarily being dispatched to other branches, she said.

Other improvements will continue throughout this year but should not require further closures of the building, Brantner said.

Nearby branches, such as the Old Colorado City location at 2418 W. Pikes Peak Ave., and the Cheyenne Mountain library at 1785 S. 8th St., are available for Penrose users during the renovation.

But the temporary shutdown may be more inconvenient for some patrons than others.

Penrose Library is known for being hospitable and welcoming, and shuttering the building during the snowy spring months will create hardships for homeless people who use the library for respite during the daytime, said Corey Almond, vice president of adult services for Catholic Charities of Central Colorado, which runs a soup kitchen in the neighborhood.

“Penrose Library is a safe place with attentive and helpful staff where everyone feels comfortable,” he said.

“When Penrose Library is closed, we find that things as basic as charging cellphones and going to the bathroom become issues for many who may rely on the library for temporary shelter and comfort during the day,” Almond said. “During closure there is a gap that is not easily filled in the downtown area.”

By law, public libraries must serve everyone in a community, employees say, including the indigent. In recent years Penrose Library has added features to help ease the burden for those living on the streets, including installing an outdoor water bottle refilling station and a cell phone bank, and providing containers for temporary storage of backpacks and other belongings.

But improper behavior also has surfaced. In addition to issues within the building, homeless people have camped illegally outside the library after hours.

All library users must follow conduct rules, Brantner said, or are subject to suspension of services.

“There’s no right way to use a library, but there are lots of wrong ways,” he said.

In the past eight months, the security team has documented 200 incidents, he said, related to people creating unsafe conditions, being disruptive to others, violating internet use, abusing library privileges or property, engaging in criminal activity on site, not complying with staff direction, breaching terms of suspension, disrupting alarms and other problems.

That’s a slight increase over the number of incidents in 2022 and 2021, according to Brantner.

Such issues are not uncommon at urban libraries today, Shainidze-Krebs said.

Denver Public Library also abides by its library use policy that details how the organization interacts with the different populations that use the facility, said spokesperson Olivia Gallegos.

“The role of the Denver Public Library is to ensure a safe and secure environment for customers and library staff,” she said in an email. “The folks who walk through our doors are a reflection of society. Our team continues to evaluate and make changes to our safety and security protocols as we feel necessary.”

Said Shainidze-Krebs: “People have their own assumptions about Penrose Library, and we’re here to make sure this place is safe for everyone.”

To that end, upcoming planned renovations at Penrose include:

• Installing boulders to prevent vehicles from hitting the building.

• Creating areas for people to store personal belongings on a short-term basis.

• Remodeling the computer lab.

• Replacing electrical outlets with a charging station.

• Replacing and rearranging tables and chairs.

• Moving staff desks to more prominent locations throughout the building.

• Updating security hardware.

• Installing fencing under stairwells and around the perimeter of the building.

Securing the property will help protect the site from intruders, particularly after hours, Brantner said.

Penrose Library is a main hub for patrons who live and work downtown and use the library not only to check out materials and peruse its special collections and law library but also attend meetings, classes and programs.

Library district officials also are expecting more people to frequent the facility as new housing comes online downtown. About 430 apartment units opened in the city’s central core in 2023, according to Carrie Simison, spokesperson for Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs. Another 1,600 units are expected to open downtown in the next year and a half, she said.

“Hopefully, we’ll have the majority (of renovations) done before the giant boom in downtown,” Brantner said.

Feedback from staff, library users, elected officials, business leaders and Colorado Springs police led to the decision to refurbish the site, Shainidze-Krebs said.

She said she frequently heard, “You need to improve the safety and maybe remodel Penrose Library,” upon taking the job of CEO and chief librarian last April.

“We are a public entity, and we want to listen to our patrons and community leaders,” she said.

When the improvements are completed, Shainidze-Krebs said Penrose won’t look old and tired but new and modern, like Library 21c, which opened a decade ago.

“I don’t want people just saying, ‘Oh, I wish Penrose Library was more like 21c; I want people to come to Penrose and not make the comparison,” she said.

On a side note, Shainidze-Krebs said that Sand Creek Library, at 1821 S. Academy Blvd. which has been closed since Dec. 11 due to sewage line repairs being made by Academy Plaza shopping center, will reopen by the end of January, as Penrose prepares for its closure starting Feb. 1.

A remodeling project that will begin Feb. 1 and close Penrose Library for two months will fix the current bare shelf problem by making books easier to reach and allowing for more materials to be displayed. (Debbie Kelley/The Gazette)