The 47,000 square facility would have combined the city’s Rosewood Arts Centre and Dayton Metro Library’s branch at the busy Kettering intersection, following demolition of the existing structure.
“We spent two years researching the combination of our Rosewood Arts Centre with the Wilmington-Stroop library branch,” said Mary Beth Thaman, director of parks, recreation and cultural arts for the city of Kettering.
Thaman said the city and library looked at alternative locations when both groups decided the proposed building couldn’t fit where the existing 13,000 square foot library branch is located.
“We also spent about sixth months with a Realtor helping us look at other properties in Kettering,” Thaman said. “In a landlocked city, it’s very difficult to find land that’s available within a price range that would be an opportunity for the city to buy.”
Kambitsch said the library and city looked at options, including property on the north end of Kettering near the Kettering Municipal Court on Wilmington Pike and the existing lot where Rosewood is located, but the proximity to existing library branches and visibility to drivers altered plans to relocate.
“Ultimately, it was that we couldn’t find the land for the size facility that we needed,” Kambitsch said. “Those facilities that have great street visibility get used more.”
Larry Gentry, a 20-year Kettering resident who uses the library frequently for Internet access and printing services, said he isn’t bothered by the plans to keep Rosewood Arts Centre and the library branch separate.
“It’s right down the street from me, so it’s accessible,” Gentry said. “Everything I use at the library is already here.”
The city of Kettering and Dayton Metro Library said they have plans to move forward with improving their current buildings.
The library plans to expand the Wilmington-Stroop location to approximately 20,000 square feet from its existing 13,000 square feet.
The city plans on studying the existing Rosewood building to see what improvements could be made to the facility that houses multiple fine arts programs.
“We are going to do our due diligence to study the building to see if we can stay where we are right now,” Thaman said. “Art is the fabric of this community, whether its entertainment, like The Fraze, or cultural arts, like Rosewood.”
The library’s expansion of the Wilmington-Stroop branch is part of an ongoing $187 million system wide building project that involves consolidating 20 branches into 16, including the construction of 11 new branches and renovation of five existing branches.
Dayton Metro should be finished with its building project in 2017.
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