MidPointe officials said they have contracted with LWC Incorporated to begin design work on a new branch.
According to a statement released by the library organization, “LWC Incorporated has achieved an impressive portfolio in public library design which began in 2012 as a member of master planning team for the Dayton Metro Library. The master plan served as the foundation for 17 new and renovated libraries within that system.”
“MidPointe Library System looks forward to growing with Liberty Twp. and providing its residents with even more opportunity for valuable library experiences in a building right-sized for this community,” said Travis Bautz, MidPointe Library System executive director.
The MidPointe Library System serves a population of nearly 200,000 people in the cities of Middletown, Trenton and Monroe and the townships of West Chester, Liberty, Lemon, Madison and Wayne with a collection of nearly half a million items.
MidPointe purchased the land for the new building, located at 6716 Yankee Road, at the end of 2021.
Caroline McKinney, spokeswoman for the township, said the fast-growing community “looks forward to continuing to work with the MidPointe team to bring this project to fruition.”
“Having an architect rendering is an exciting step as this new Liberty location has been in the works for years. We can’t wait for our residents to utilize this amenity along Yankee Road when it opens,” said McKinney.
According to the latest U.S. Census figures, from 2010 to 2020 Liberty Twp. saw an 18.1% population jump with 6,740 new residents, bringing the new total to 44,000.
MidPointe’s current library branch in the township, inside the The Foundry of Liberty Center, can’t keep pace with the community’s growth, said Cari Hillman, community engagement director for MidPointe.
“The existing Liberty location, while very busy, does not have adequate programming space, lacks reservable meeting room space and does not have room for a right-sized collection for the size of the community. The new location will offer outdoor programming space, reservable meeting rooms, amenities for families, easily accessible parking, adequate shelving for the collection and so much more,” said Hillman of the coming 20,000-square-foot branch.
MidPointe opened their original Liberty Twp. branch in November 2018.
The library, located on the second floor of The Foundry is 3,671 square feet and offers a collection of 5,000 items. Despite its limited size, the branch welcomes over 8,000 patrons and circulates over 13,000 items a month making it one of the busiest branches in the MidPointe Butler County system.
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