County library officials want to hire an architect this month for a new Clark-Pleasant library branch.
Once they hire an architect, they will look at land to purchase for the estimated $8.8 million branch.
The Johnson County Council approved a property tax hike in December of 2.5 cents for every $100 of assessed value to pay for the library. The tax affects every person who owns property in the library’s geographic area, which covers all of Johnson County, except Greenwood and Edinburgh, both of which have separate library systems.
Library officials want to start construction on the new branch in the fall, completing and opening it before the end of next year. In order to start construction, it will first hire an architect, after which it will purchase land for the new Clark-Pleasant branch and hire construction crews, Assistant Director Sarah Taylor said in an email.
The new branch will replace the current one on Tracy Road in New Whiteland. The current Clark-Pleasant branch, a 10,000-square-foot former office building the library has used since 2002, no longer meets the needs of the area’s growing population. Library officials have said events such as story times fill up fast, meaning not everybody who is interested can attend. The new branch could possibly double the size of the library at up to 20,000 square feet.
The library has looked at about 10 properties — mostly off U.S. 31 in Whiteland and New Whiteland — for the project, Lisa Lintner, the library system’s executive director, said during a meeting in December.
The library wants the architect it selects to have experience working on similar projects, Taylor said.
“We’re looking for an architect with experience with projects of a similar scope as ours,” Taylor said. “We’ll select the architect we feel can best help us design a beautiful and engaging library space that meets the needs of modern learners and families in the Clark-Pleasant area, while still being financially responsible.”
The Johnson County Public Library has about $1.4 million saved for its new branch, but the remaining $7.4 million will come from taxpayer dollars, library officials have said.
Along with designing the building, the architect will estimate construction costs, draft construction bid documents and oversee construction of the branch, Taylor said.
To help guide the process, the library formed the Clark-Pleasant branch steering committee, which includes Lintner, select library board members and library staff members. The committee is in charge of interviewing and reviewing architect candidates and making a final recommendation for approval, she said.
