FAYETTEVILLE -- The first wall at the old City Hospital building got knocked out Tuesday.
Mayor Lioneld Jordan, who was born at the more than 100-year-old facility, told a crowd of onlookers demolition of the building serves as a literal and figurative foundation for the public library's planned expansion. Bricks from the old building will be ground up and used in the 70,000-square-foot expansion.
"The space will grow just as Fayetteville grows -- providing expanded programs and services, and serving as a central center for connecting our citizens to knowledge and information," he said.
The kickoff event at Rock Street and School Avenue signified the start of an anticipated two-year process to bring an expanded library to the city.
Voters in August 2016 approved a millage increase to pay for construction. The extra space will double the size of youth services, add an innovation center, a 700-seat multipurpose venue, an outdoor courtyard and greenspace, a genealogy and local history section and will increase meeting, study and collaboration space. The library also will be able to hold more materials.
The vote will generate about $26.9 million in construction bonds for the project. The library's foundation has set out to raise the remaining $23 million needed to get the job done.
NW News on 07/18/2018