When the West Des Moines Public Library opened its then-new location here at 4000 Mills Civic Parkway in 1996, the City celebrated the creation of a beautiful space for the community to gather and learn. During this initial celebration, the building was festooned with many decorations, including helium balloons. In true balloon fashion, they found their way to the highest and most unreachable parts of our ceiling, creating a home for themselves for the next 25 years.
With unintentionally poetic timing, we finally brought the wayward balloon strings down from the rafters this year, just in time for us to host a similar event—minus the balloons.
Twenty-five years, one overhaul renovation, and two removed balloon strings later, we are inviting the community to join us in celebration again.
We will be hosting a Renovation Celebration Open House on Saturday, June 12 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the WDM Library (4000 Mills Civic Parkway). This event is family-friendly and will feature guided and self-guided tours of the renovated space, writing competitions, family crafts and much more. Additionally, we will host a ribbon cutting ceremony with the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce at 11:00 AM.
We hope that you and your family will come to see and experience the planning and effort that our building contractors and library staff have poured into this space over the last few years.
Watch the video below to see photos spanning from the groundbreaking ceremony in 1996 to the completed renovation in 2021.