Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
The Westfield City Council on Monday voted to approve a $16.7 million general obligation bond to fund a new public library.
Plans call for the 45,000-square-foot library to be built on 3.6 acres at Westfield Boulevard and Park Street in downtown Westfield.
The existing 32,230-square-foot library at 333 W Hoover St. was built in 1983 and expanded in 1994 and 2014. It is tucked between the Westfield middle and high schools on 2.6 acres.
“This new building will be a centerpiece in the heart of Westfield’s expanding downtown” said Library Director Sheryl Sollars in a written statement. “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 Westfield-Washington Public Library’s board voted earlier this year to build a new library next to the Curtis Dyna-Fog building off Park Street, in Westfield-based EdgeRock Development’s Grand Millennium Center.
Sollars said the bond approval would allow the library to purchase the property and put the project out for bid
“Our hope is to break ground on the new library next spring with a grand opening in the fall of 2023,” she said.
Officials said the bond will cause a 2-cent increase in property taxes, but the Westfield-Washington School District plans to decrease its tax rate over the next several years, allowing the project to be net neutral.
KRM Architects will serve as the project architect.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.