Civic center entrance, parking to close with library expansion

A parking area and an entrance to the West Carrollton Civic Center will close during the year-long expansion of that city’s branch of the Dayton Metro Library.

The library is located within the civic center, which will close its west entrance as well as the parking area on that side of the building at 300 E. Central Ave.

The $4 million expansion will also close the library starting Saturday during a project that will increase the site’s space by 50 percent.

“Once construction is complete, residents will have access not only to all the expanded amenities of the library, but also to new public meeting space,” according to West Carrollton City Manager Brad Townsend.

A community room is among the additions planned for the library that will enlarge from 10,000 to 15,000 square feet.

When the library reopens – set for the fall of 2018 - it will also include a quiet reading room, group study rooms, a fireplace and dedicated spaces for children and teens, according to the library system.

The remodeling will also add more than a dozen parking spaces, said Jayne Klose, the metro library’s community engagement manager.

“I think they’re going to find the wait is well worth it,” Klose said. “The library will be much larger with dedicated spaces.”

West Carrollton is the latest of the metro library's renovation projects in Montgomery County funded by a voter-approved $187 million bond issue in 2012.

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Seven other branch projects remain. Others on the near horizon include a new Southeast Dayton Branch, which combines the current East and Belmont Branch Libraries, the West Branch uniting Madden Hills and Westwood, and renovation of the Wilmington-Stroop Branch in Kettering, officials said.

Construction on the West Carrollton branch is set to start Sept. 12. Manager of the project is Shook Construction and Staffco Construction submitted the lowest bid at $3.88 million, officials said.

While the West Carrollton branch Library is closed, patrons are encouraged to visit branches in Miami Twp. at 2718 Lyons Road, Miamisburg at 545 E. Linden Ave., or the Kettering-Moraine site at 3496 Far Hills Ave. – all of which have been recently renovated and upgraded.

“They will be gearing up to handle the (West Carrollton) library patrons,” Klose said.

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About the Author

Nick Blizzard

Nick Blizzard is a staff writer for the Dayton Daily News. He is a graduate of Stebbins High School who earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University and its E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. Nick is a Riverside native and has been a journalist in the Dayton area for more than 20 years.