Construction for the long anticipated Central Library at Stevens Ranch won’t start until March, but the land is already being cleared.

“It’s going fine,” said project manager Greg Holcomb. “You can see where they cleared the site, starting to move dirt and deal with the rock out there.”

The Deschutes Public Library system’s 2020 bond measure paid for the Stevens Ranch and Redmond libraries, and renovations at the Sisters, Sunriver and La Pine libraries. The Sisters and La Pine libraries opened last October after renovations. The Redmond and Sunriver libraries will open later this year.

The Stevens Ranch site, at the northeast corner of 27th Street and Wilderness Way in southeast Bend, has certain requirements regarding how to prepare the land, including grading for the parking lots and building. The library will take two years to build, and is planned to open in early 2026.

Redmond, Sunriver and Sisters libraries

Construction of the new Redmond library is on schedule, with the last few windows being put in. The exterior will be finished in the summer, with inside installations to wrap up soon after, said Holcomb. Opening is planned for the fall.

The Sunriver library renovation will wrap up just ahead of the Redmond project, said Holcomb. The building is smaller, meaning interior installations should go faster. The library should open in late summer; no date has been set.

Library Director Todd Dunkelberg said the Sunriver library renovations will likely be delayed by a few weeks.

“We got in there and found some conditions that needed bolstering. As you get in and dig around and open walls, and see what’s there, we realized we need a couple more weeks to get that going,” said Dunkelberg.

During the January cold snap, a water pipe burst and flooded the community meeting room and children’s area of the Sisters library, damaging the floor and the carpet. The library reopened Wednesday, though the children’s area is still having work done, said Dunkelberg. The carpet in both areas will need to be replaced.

“That was an amazing turn-around by our staff, to really shift services,” said Dunkelberg.

Designing the downtown Bend library renovations will start in the spring, said Holcomb. Renovations for the downtown Bend library will begin after the Central library opens in 2026.

In early 2025, the east Bend library will undergo remodeling. The library’s lease is planned to be extended through 2027, said Dunkelberg.

La Pine and Sisters libraries set to reopen in October, while other renovations continue