County: Land transfer cleared, site work to start soon for South Davis library

Yarrow County and City of Davis officials said on Jan. 8 that legal and environmental steps are largely complete for the South Davis Library project and that site work and contractor coordination are moving toward a late‑January or early‑February start.

County Director of General Services Ryan Steen said the county and city have finished negotiating the land‑transfer and reciprocal‑access and maintenance documents and expect signatures “shortly” if the city approves the latest drafts. He told the 2x2 that environmental soil testing turned up “no concerns,” and that a contractor site walk is scheduled; after that, the county and contractor will set firm timelines for construction commencement and a groundbreaking.

The library design includes solar panels and a battery backup. “There will be a battery component to it that’s about, if I recall correctly, 82 kW,” Steen said, adding that the battery will serve routine load‑shifting to cut emissions and provide several hours of backup power for resiliency. The design also includes a quick connect to allow a rental generator to be dropped in and tied in more quickly during prolonged outages.

City and county staff will coordinate on community notification, impacts to the adjacent field and bicycle bypass, and the contractor’s lay‑down area. Questions from supervisors and city members focused on timing, parking impacts and safe routes for nearby schools. Steen said the contractor’s lay‑down area will remain inside the project parcel, that the contractor has been given school bell schedules to avoid major deliveries during arrival times, and that a traffic‑management plan will be developed with city input.

City staff present noted ongoing work with the county on parking impacts and the sidewalk/ingress that will be constructed as part of the project; the county said ingress will be created off Lillard and that temporary sidewalk removal and replacement will be part of the construction work. County staff said they will follow up directly with the Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD) to coordinate crossing guards, deliveries and other safety measures once the contractor finalizes its traffic plan.

Next steps identified at the meeting: completion/signing of the land‑transfer and reciprocal access documents, county signature of the construction contract once the land transfer is complete, the contractor site walk, and issuance of a schedule for groundbreaking and construction activities.

Timeline uncertainties discussed at the meeting included the timing of the land‑transfer signings and the 30‑ to 60‑day window the contractor needs to mobilize. City and county staff agreed to continue direct coordination on traffic management and community notifications.