The new Clifton Branch Library will be approximately three times the size of the current Clifton Branch.
The Mesa County Libraries Clifton Branch at 590 32 Road will close permanently at 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, for the move to a new location.
The new Clifton Branch, currently in the late stages of construction at 3270 D 1/2 Road (next to Rocky Mountain Elementary School), is set to open at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29.
Clifton Branch patrons who have materials due for return during the two-week closure (Aug. 13-28) may return them to any other Mesa County Libraries location. Nearest locations to Clifton are the Palisade Branch, 119 W. 3rd St.; the Central Library, 443 N. 6th St. in Grand Junction; and the Orchard Mesa Branch, 230 E. Lynwood St. just east of the Orchard Mesa City Market.
Mesa County Libraries do not charge late fees on materials that the library owns.
The new Clifton Branch Library will have longer operating hours than the current location. Upon reopening in the new location, Clifton Branch hours will be 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.
At more than 17,000 square feet, the new Clifton Branch will be approximately three times the size of the current facility. The new library will feature numerous study rooms, two community rooms, dedicated areas for children and teens, and a comfortable, scenic community living room. The new library is located on Mesa County’s Clifton Community Campus, which is under construction and will include a community center and an early childhood education center.
The Clifton Branch is the second-busiest library location in Mesa County, behind only the Central Library in downtown Grand Junction. It serves a population of approximately 20,000 people in the eastern Grand Valley.
Construction of the new Clifton Branch will cost $11.5 million, with $8 million of that amount coming from the Mesa County Public Library District and $3.5 million being raised through a capital campaign by the Mesa County Libraries Foundation.
Although the new Clifton Branch will open to the public Aug. 29, a grand opening celebration for the new library is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 7. More details about the event will be available later.