The Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) Board of Trustees awarded a construction contract for the Birch Bay Vogt Library Express at its May 19, 2026, meeting.
Summit Construction Group Inc. of Bellingham received the contract for approximately $1.4 million to renovate the 1,700-square-foot facility located at 7948 Birch Bay Drive. Osborn Architects Inc. of Lynden is the project architect. The renovation work is scheduled to begin in June and the library is projected to open in January 2027.
The project involves renovating an existing house on the property. Construction updates will include:
- a new foundation
- parking expansion to 19 spots
- full interior renovation
- roof repairs
- weather-proof windows and exterior cladding
- ADA and public safety upgrades
- archeological preservation
Public spaces will occupy the first floor, porch, and surrounding property. The second floor will contain staff workspaces and storage, and will not be open to the public.
During construction, a WCLS bookmobile will operate from 3pm to 7pm on Wednesdays at 4825 Birch Bay Road.
The finished facility will feature library materials, online hold pickups, computers, internet access, document printing, a meeting space for up to 40 people, and an outdoor reading porch.
Funding sources for the project include the following.
- Washington State Library Capital Improvements Fund Grant
- Whatcom County American Rescue Plan Act funding
- bp Cherry Point
- Eleanor and Henry Jansen Foundation
- Phillips 66
- Friends of the Birch Bay Library
- anonymous donors
The property was purchased by WCLS from descendants of the Vogt family. Gary Vogt is quoted on the WCLS website as saying, “Our vision for this project was to honor Birch Bay’s history and honor my grandparents Grover and Anna Vogt by opening this great home to the Birch Bay community and its visitors as a library. A library will be a great asset for this community.”
The facility will be one of 11 branches in WCLS, which operates independently of the Bellingham Public Library.
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