After months of work, Phase 1 of construction at the Rehoboth Beach Public Library is about half complete.

If everything goes as planned, this phase will be completed in October, said Kay Wheatley, library board president. That time frame will allow for the library to move itself into the new area before construction begins on the area that’s currently open, she said, during a tour of the construction May 13.

After years of planning, the library began moving items and doing exterior work to the structure around Thanksgiving to facilitate the current construction. The footprint of the library encompasses three 50-foot-wide, 100-foot-long lots. Phase I is taking place on the two eastern lots.

Inside, it looks like an active construction zone – coils of wire, piles of insulation, stacks of drywall. Ceiling tiles have not been installed because not all the wiring has been added. However, changes in the floor plan have been framed out with metal studs, which means the general layout of the new space is apparent – new offices, circulation desk, bathrooms, closets and meeting rooms.

A significant portion of the overall project is the installation of a new HVAC system, which is being done during Phase 1.

Library Director Lauren McCauley said it’s exciting to see the project moving along. The library has been limping along with the old HVAC system, she said.

From Rehoboth Avenue, the most noticeable change is the steel frame for three additional study rooms in the area where the garden was located.

In the past, the library has had to turn people away because there wasn’t space, said McCauley. It will be nice to better serve the needs of the community when this is all done, she said.

McCauley has been director for a little more than two years and has worked at the library for eight.

It’s surreal to see all the changes when walking around, she said.

Looking forward, Wheatley said the expectation is to have Phase II completed by the end of the first quarter of next year.

The renovation project is projected to cost about $8 million. The library secured $3 million each from the American Rescue Plan Act and the state’s Bond Bill. The library launched a capital campaign for the remaining $2 million in December. In late April, officials announced they had reached 70% of that goal.

For more information on the project or to make a contribution, go to www.reholibrarycapitalcampaign.com. Wheatley can be reached directly at rbplrising@gmail.com.