At its Aug. 23 meeting, the Westfield City Council approved a $16.725 million general obligation bond to fund a new Westfield Washington Public Library building
The 45,000-square-foot library will be built on 3.6 acres at Westfield Boulevard and Park Street in downtown Westfield. The bonds will be repaid by the library.
“This new building will be a centerpiece in the heart of Westfield’s expanding downtown,” WWPL Director Sheryl Sollars stated. “While the current building has served us well through the years, it doesn’t allow us room to grow and continue to meet the community’s burgeoning needs.”
The library at 303 Hoover St. was built in 1983 and was expanded in 1994 and 2014. It is 32,230 square feet but doesn’t have room for further expansion.
“The approval on the bond allows us to finalize the purchase of the new property and put the project out for bid,” Sollars stated.
WWPL plans to break ground on the new library in spring 2022 and have a grand opening in fall 2023.
The new bond will create a two-cent tax increase; however, Westfield Washington Schools plans to decrease its tax rate during the next several years, allowing construction on the new library to be net neutral. KRM Architects is the project’s architect.
For more, visit westfield.in.gov.
