ASHTABULA - - The Ashtabula County District Library hopes to begin a new chapter with a larger facility in the not-too-distant future.
Director Bill Tokarczyk shared his vision with the city's economic development committee Tuesday, presenting a Solon-based architectural firm's designs for the main library on West 44th Street.
Ziska Architects and Associates LLC designed the Geneva Library during the mid-1990s, as well as the Avon Lake, Beachwood and Columbiana public libraries. The architects have been working with the library board on needs assessment and preliminary planning since 1999.
"These are concepts, some ideas we've had," Tokarczyk said.
In the first scenario, the library would buy the tennis-court property located behind the library, from the Ashtabula Area City School District. This move would give the library a total of 30,000 square feet, he said.
The second scenario would have the library buying all of the school property on West 44th Street. This would provide a large parking lot and room for a community campus of sorts, Tokarczyk said.
The third idea includes a large campus where many organizations would join the library.
"It would be a place where people would come and enjoy," he said. "The library wants to stay in the area."
City Council vice president Josephine Misener said, "The economic development committee is happy the library wants to stay downtown."
Tokarczyk said he hopes to hear from the school board later this week.
In June 2005, the board of trustees hosted a community forum at the library, during which trustees, library employees and residents discussed the future of the library and it's location.
At the time, Ziska Architects said the library needed a 40,000-square-foot building to house adequately all the books, materials, videos, computers and public meeting rooms needed for the community. The existing 100-year-old building on West 44th Street has about 18,000 square feet, library officials have said.
Tokarczyk said the plans are not yet far enough along to offer estimates and meeting the cost involved will be a challenge.
The Ashtabula Library is the largest library in the county, serving more than 60,000 county residents in all or part of most of the county's townships, circulating more than 320,000 books and other library materials. It has an annual budget of about $1.6 million.
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