The St. Joseph County Public Library has found a spot for its plans to modernize and expand the Western Branch. It’s moving but not far away.
The library announced two new projects on South Bend’s west side, part of a 10-year-plan to upgrade facilities throughout the system. They plan to renovate the LaSalle Branch on Ardmore Trail, but a much larger project will involve moving the Western Branch.
The library is buying the former ZB Falcons building that fronts Western Avenue. It’s just a half-mile north of the existing branch, which is tucked behind a Kroger store. The library thinks the branch will get more use if it’s more visible, and they plan to add more space.
"It would look very different," says Library spokesman Daniel Lichty. "The core components, the structure itself, will remain but we are adding our own spin to it. So the guts of it are going to be there but the intention and likely results will be kind of building with it."
The county council in October approved issuing bonds to help cover the two projects’ combined $10.3 million estimated cost. It won’t require a property tax increase because the money will come partly from property taxes levied to pay for prior projects.
On Thursday the library will release drawings of how the buildings will look at public information events scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at both branches. Work is expected to start this year with no projected completion dates set.
