Parsonsburg Library Wins Construction Excellence Award

Wicomico County, MD - The new Lewis R. Riley Library branch in Parsonsburg has won an Excellence in Construction Award. The Associated Builders and Contractors Chesapeake Shores Chapter presented the honor.

The award recognizes the change of a former commercial building into a modern library for Eastern Wicomico County. Gillis Gilkerson was the general contractor on the project.

The company entered the library in the Renovation: $500,000 to $2 Million category. The entry highlighted the skill, teamwork and problem solving needed to finish the job.

The building was once part of the Otis Feed Company. Crews started the project by gutting the entire structure.

Once demolition was underway, the team found the foundation had no sub-footings. It sat only on a concrete slab on grade.

To fix this, the project team worked with the architect, structural engineers and subcontractors.

Together they installed a system of sub-footings in a carefully planned order.

That work steadied the building and supported the steel framing for its unique roofline. The roof design needed standard trusses to line up with off-centered girder and scissor trusses.

This created a second ridgeline with a 21-degree pitch. Inside, the result is a vaulted ceiling with natural light coming through circular gable windows.

David D. Quillin Architecture designed the library. The tall ridge and vaulted ceiling are the main feature and are meant to connect the building to rural farmland and the natural world.

From the outside, the exposed fastener roof leads to a covered front porch. Inside, the vaulted ceiling sits over the bookstacks, with hexagon-shaped recycled cork tiles that help with sound.

Large storefront windows give views of the outdoors. A silo-inspired rain barrel waters a rain garden along the back patio, which looks out over farmland.

The lighting and HVAC systems follow the shapes used elsewhere in the design. The library is built to be sustainable and to serve area residents for years to come.

Wicomico Public Library Executive Director Seth Hershberger accepted the award. He was joined by Gillis Gilkerson President Tyler Barnes and Project Manager Don Murray, who also served as superintendent for the build.

Wicomico Public Library also has locations in Downtown Salisbury and the Centre at Salisbury.

More information is available at www.wicomicolibrary.org.