FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – Changes could be coming to your local library branch.
The Board of Trustees of the Allen County Public Library met in special session Thursday afternoon to formally receive recommendations from Bostwick Design Partnership regarding upgrades to ACPL facilities.
The meeting was open to the public and will be available for future viewing on ACPL’s YouTube channel. The Board first received initial options and recommendations from Bostwick Design Partnership on January 5, 2022.
The following was issued by the ACPL:
In the months that followed, ACPL has solicited feedback on the options from the community and library staff through surveys, five open houses held at ACPL branches, two livestream sessions, and several board meetings. “From the very beginning we have stressed that we want this to be a transparent and inclusive process. People in our community love their library, and have very strong ideas about how it should function and what resources should be available. We hope our staff and patrons see that we took their comments and concerns to heart when developing the plan that was presented today,” said Susan Baier, ACPL’s executive director.
Previous plans presented in January called for the closing of the Shawnee Branch. The updated recommendations call for 15 branches throughout the county, including a new Shawnee Branch and a new location in the Huntertown area.
“It is very important to us as a library system that we provide equitable service across Allen County. What we heard very clearly from those who use the Shawnee Branch was that doing away with that location would have a negative effect on an area that greatly relies on resources the library provides,” Baier said. The Board voted unanimously to accept the plan, which has a cost range of $112 million to $118 million. The amount does not include real estate costs associated with the project.
Next steps for the Facilities Master Plan include two preliminary determination public hearings, on Thursday, April 21 and April 28, both at 3 pm. The public can attend in person at the Main Library or watch a live stream on You Tube. ACPL’s bond consultants will give a presentation on the project financials. There will also be an opportunity for the public to offer comments about the project.
At the conclusion of the second hearing on April 28, the Board will consider adopting a preliminary determination resolution that declares a need for the project and the issuance of bonds and approves the form of the local public question for the project to appear on the ballot if a referendum is requested.
Background:
In 2021, ACPL entered into an agreement with Bostwick Design Partnership to guide the Library and community through the Facilities Master Plan process. Bostwick’s team members are experts in the areas of library plan development; facility assessments;
property assessment and virtual and in-person engagement.
Some of the key questions ACPL sought to answer during the process were:
What services is ACPL not currently offering that you think we should and how might our facilities need to change to offer those services?
Can our current facilities meet our community’s needs? Should we have additional branches? Should some of our existing branches be larger?
What steps should ACPL take with its facilities to meet community needs?
For information on the Facilities Master Plan, click here.
