Construction begins for new Miamisburg library

The $7 million dollar library is part of Dayton Metro Library’s county-wide building project.

The Dayton Metro Library system’s massive overhaul of it’s main library and branches continues with a ground-breaking last week for a new Miamisburg branch.

“This is a $7 million investment,” said Tim Kambitsch, executive director of Dayton Metro Library. “It is going to be 50 percent larger than the older branch on Fifth Street.”

The new library will be located on 14 South Sixth St.

“The site where this library is being built is where our high school used to sit,” Miamisburg Mayor Dick Church Jr. said. “I graduated from there along with countless others.”

The new library will will feature a puppet theatre and a story room with a stars theme to honor Miamisburg’s identity as “Ohio’s Star City,” according to a news release issued by library officials.

Voters in 2012 approved a $187 million bond issue for the county-wide Dayton Metro Library construction and renovation project.

The plans include the construction of 11 new branches and the expansion or renovation of five branches. The main library downtown is in the midst of a complete rebuild and will reopen in early 2017.

About half of the projects are completed or in process, said Jane Klose, community engagement manager for the library system. The Electra C. Doren branch in Dayton and the Miami Twp. branch are completed and the Northwest branch will open on April 23.

Kettering-Moraine, Brookville and New Lebanon will open this summer and Vandalia is scheduled to open in late autumn.

The Kettering-Moraine branch located at 3496 Far Hills Ave. is stripped to its core because of the extensive work needed to modernize things such as electrical systems, she said. Renovations are costing $5.5 million for the branch, which closed in October. When it is completed the library will have more natural light, a larger meeting room and children’s area, space dedicated for teen-agers as well as three small study rooms and an enclosed quiet reading room.

She said there also will be more computers and fresh book collections interspersed with older books.

Each library will have story time corners, gaming, and quiet reading areas to meet needs for readers of all ages, Kambitsch said. He said the library will also have new technology, a larger community room and group study rooms.

Klose said library officials will begin design forums for four of eight remaining projects this summer and hope to finish all projects by the end of 2018 unless property acquisition causes unexpected delays.

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