By Carole Howard and the Library Staff

President Calvin Coolidge once said, “Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance.” That observation comes to mind as we report the news that the library has received a monetary settlement from the engineering company involved in the soil sampling back in 2004 ( I’’m not certain on the year. when the library’s expansion project was getting underway.

Readers with good memories will remember the situation. Lenore Bright, then our library director, had successfully raised enough money through grants and private donations that we could expand the library without having to ask for a penny of increased tax money. Everyone was thrilled. Then suddenly the construction came to a halt. It turns out that an analysis of the soil samples did not reveal that to failed to rev successfully support the library, the pilings under it would have to be much longer and driven deeper.

This snafu delayed construction for months and caused the cost of the project to escalate. Also, driving the piles deeper required bigger equipment, which damaged the parking lot so badly it had to be replaced.

Eventually the expansion was completed, after we scaled down the original architectural plan to make up for these unexpected additional costs. The library’s Board of Trustees was determined to recoup some of this money. Hence the negotiations with the company that analyzed the soil samples and the news this week of the settlement.

As is true with many legal agreements, the process was slow and details were not disclosed. But the good news is that as a result of perseverance, the library got some money back. Which brings us to an item of related news.

You’ve no doubt noticed all the road construction around the library on Highway 160. We have given CDOT a temporary easement so they can bring their heavy equipment onto our property to repair an underground culvert running under the highway which failed, creating a huge sink hole. Also, we will have to dig up and repair that part of the culvert that is on library property, undoubtedly an expensive proposition. So that’s what we’ll use the settlement money for. The culvert situation has delayed our landscaping on this section of the property, as we did not want to waste money on landscaping that would be ruined by excavation and construction. Never a dull moment in Pagosa!

Juvenile fiction plus a math book

We have 15 new books by different authors in the “Pony Club” series, written for youth in the third through seventh grades. If you are having difficulty with math in school, try “Math Doesn’t Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail” by Danica McKellar.

Spanish-language books

We are working hard to expand our collection of Spanish-language books. Here is a sampling of new ones on our shelves now: “La Ciudad Prohibida” by Abchee Min, “Vida de Pi” by Yann Martel, “El Alquimista” and “El Zahir” by Paulo Coelho, “Paula” and “Retrato en Sepia” by Isabel Allende, plus “Morir en el Intento: La Peor Tragedia de Immigrantes en la Historia de los Estados Unidos” by Jorge Ramos.

Mysteries and thrillers

“Dark Fever” by Karen Marie Moning” is the story of a woman’s search for her sister’s killer in Ireland. “Power Play” is a new novel by New York Times bestselling author Joseph Finder. “Force of Nature” is the latest thriller by Suzanne Brockmann, this one set in Florida. “Walking with Enemies” is the sequel to Eric Jerome Dickey’s bestselling “Sleeping with Strangers.” Faye Kellerman’s newest mystery is “The Burnt House,” about the aftermath of a commuter plane crash.

New cookbooks

“Splendid Soups” offers 400 recipes and master techniques for making great soups from James Peterson, the award-winning author of “Sauces.” We also have the latest edition of “Larousse Gastronomique,” known to many chefs and amateur cooks as the world’s greatest culinary encyclopedia. If you want a murder mystery that also offers recipes, try “Sweet Revenge,” the newest novel by Diane Mott Davidson.

Large print books

The Stone Barrington novel “Shoot Him If He Runs” by Stuart Woods is now available as a large print book, as is the humorous “Dave Barry’s History of the Millennium (So Far).”

Fantasy and vampires

“Dark Possession” is the latest Carpathian vampire novel by Christine Feehan. New fantasy novels include “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss and “Genesis of Shannara: The Elves of Cintra” by Terry Brooks.

Thanks to our donors

Our gratitude to Jim and Margaret Wilson for their donation in memory of their son, Robert Wilson. For books and materials this week we thank David Bright, Maria Feht, Scottie Gibson, Cindy Gustafson, Dr. Duane Hartleip, Dot Jones, Susan Joy, Sheila McKenzie, George Muirhead, Kay Redfield, James Sanderson, Suki, Kristen Vorhies, Ermalie Williams and Robert Windpony.

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