Sherwood committee chooses site for library

21-acre plot needs City Council’s OK

A graphic shows the proposed 21-acre plot for the new Sherwood library.
A graphic shows the proposed 21-acre plot for the new Sherwood library.

A site selection committee has chosen a 21-acre plot in Sherwood as the top choice for the location of the city's new library.

The site, which sits between Maryland Avenue and Woodruff Road, is listed for $496,000 by Browell Development Inc. The selection is still contingent on the City Council's approval of the purchase; the council meets Aug. 24.

Sherwood Mayor Virginia Hillman Young said the chosen location was a clear winner. The committee began with four possible sites Thursday and quickly narrowed it down to two. With a 7-1 vote, committee members voted for the 21-acre property, which was the largest of those the committee considered and among the cheapest per square foot, Young said.

Central Arkansas Library System Library Director Bobby Roberts said the property will be nearly twice the size of the largest of the system's 14 libraries.

Though Young said Sherwood's current library -- the Amy Sanders Public Library at 31 Shelby Road -- has served the community well, it has become too small and has limited popular children's programs.

"This new site has so much room and opportunity," she said. "The dream was to make a more family-oriented space, and we will have it."

Roberts said that because the property comes in well below the budgeted $1 million for land, the leftover money will likely go toward using the extra outdoor space. Ideas include constructing an outdoor amphitheater, making walking trails along the creek or making a small fishing pond, he said.

"I'm really excited about it," Roberts said. "I honestly don't know how we could have come up with a better site. There is so much opportunity with all of this outdoor space."

Some construction will be needed to add roads, Roberts said, but that likely would have been needed at the other locations as well.

If the City Council approves the location, Roberts said, Sherwood residents would be invited to give input on what they want the library to offer, and those suggestions could then be incorporated into the architects' plans. Young said initial plans are for the library to be about 14,500 square feet and to include meeting rooms.

In the November general election, with 52.3 percent of the vote, Sherwood residents approved a 1.3-mill property tax to fund $6 million in bonds for the library project. A mill is one-tenth of a cent.

The new library location was required to be in city limits, be at least 5 acres and be affordable enough to fit into the $5.8 million budgeted for buying the land and building and furnishing the library.

Young said the vote proved that residents know how important a library is to the community.

"Contrary to what some believe, libraries are not a thing of the past," she said. "People still want and use their libraries."

Metro on 08/03/2015

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