Forums on site location for an eastside library are set for noon today at Athens-Clarke County Fire Station 7 on Barnett Shoals Road and 5 o’clock this afternoon at the McKinley Drive headquarters of the East Athens Development Corporation. City Hall is looking at eight potential sites to be home to the library branch that will be constructed with Athens-Clarke County sales tax dollars.
From the Athens-Clarke Co government website…
The Athens-Clarke County Unified Government will host community feedback opportunities and an online survey for eight potential sites identified as possible locations for SPLOST 2020 Project 25: East Side Public Library.
Potential sites were evaluated by the SPLOST Site Selection Committee, a resident committee appointed by Mayor Kelly Girtz and chaired by District 8 Commissioner Carol Myers, and ranked based on the site selection criteria that was approved by the Mayor and Commission on November 1, 2022. The eight highest-scoring sites have been identified as potential sites for the facility. The sites are:
1. 1030 Barnett Shoals Road – undeveloped property owned by ACCGov
2. 280 Gaines School Road – current location of the Clarke County School District’s Early Learning Center
3. 2000 Barnett Shoals Road – current location of the Kroger / College Station shopping center
4. 1935 Barnett Shoals Road – current location of the Green Acres shopping center
5. 1065 Gaines School Road – current location of Covenant Presbyterian Church
6. 1300 Cedar Shoals Drive – current location of Cedar Shoals High School
7. 1934 Lexington Road – undeveloped property
8. 2555 Lexington Road – current location of ACCGov’s Landscape Management Division
Many of the proposed sites are large enough to allow co-location of the library with existing facilities and buildings. Public open house meetings are scheduled for Thursday, May 11 from 12:00-2:00 PM at Fire Station #7 (2350 S. Barnett Shoals Road) and Thursday, May 11 from 5:00-7:00 PM at the East Athens Development Corporation (410 McKinley Drive Suite 101). Residents can drop in anytime during the meetings to find out details, ask questions about the project, and provide feedback on the potential sites. In addition to providing general project information and addressing attendees’ questions and feedback, conversations will also address timelines and next steps for the site selection and facility. An online map and survey are also available at www.accgov.com/eastsidelibrary through May 21 for public input on the potential locations. The webpage, map, and survey include information on the potential sites and the project process. After public input on the potential sites, the SPLOST Site Selection Committee will bring the list of recommended candidate sites to the Mayor and Commission for final consideration in fall 2023. Substantial completion of the facility is expected by fall 2026. This project will provide funding for land acquisition, design, construction, and/or equipping of a facility and/or renovations, improvements, additions to, and equipping of an existing facility for the purpose of extending library services to residents on the east side of Athens-Clarke County. The facility would be operated by the Athens Regional Library System. Depending on costs and funding availability, the facility may include spaces such as meeting rooms, study rooms, a children’s area, a teen area, reading space, computer spaces, a creation space with digital and modern technology, innovative spaces and technology, and associated parking and general infrastructure to support the facility. The current budgeted construction cost for the facility is $7.5 million. Changes to the budgeted items are likely depending on the purchase price for the site and the design and construction process. To learn more about SPLOST 2020 Project 25: East Side Public Library, or to take the brief survey through May 21, visit www.accgov.com/eastsidelibrary. For additional questions, contact the SPLOST Program Management Office at 706-613-3025 or splost@accgov.com.
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