A new chapter for the East side
New changes are coming to East Athens as a site selection committee and Mayor Kelly Girtz have approved Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax project 25: the East side Public Library. For the proposal, the Athens-Clarke County public library will expand to one of four potential sites on the East side.
The possible sites include 280 Gaines School Road, 1030 Barnett Shoals Road, 2000 Barnett Shoals Road and Southeast Clarke Park on 4400 Lexington Road. These locations fit most of the criteria the committee was looking for: topography, access to police departments, population sizes and distance. The project was approved on Nov. 5, 2019, but the construction and site approval won’t start until November 2024, with estimated completion in June 2026.
The first step for the library’s expansion involved a rigorous selection process. Architects began by giving photos of the sites to the selection committee, deciding what changes needed to be made. Cost estimates were then provided before discussing the disadvantages and advantages for each site. After an evaluation the site selection committee, made entirely of residents, sent recommendations to the mayor and commission.
Chaired by Athens-Clarke County District 8 Commissioner Carol Myers, the SPLOST site selection committee has the responsibility to evaluate the sites and make a recommendation to the mayor. Playing a large role in the library’s expansion, Myers said she worked closely with supporters to ensure the new library location would promote clean and renewable energy. She will also advocate to use federal money and tax credits to make the building as energy efficient as possible.
“I’m personally someone who is a proponent of having more community in places where people can walk and bike,” Myers said. “I would prefer for it to be more in a dead center than at Southeast Clarke Park, but my preference isn’t necessarily what matters.”
The next step was to consider the surrounding areas and facilities of each location. For example, 2000 Barnett Shoals Road is close to police and fire department services, and 280 Gaines School Road is a 10 minute walk from Hilsman Middle School with visibility from a major intersection.
The cons were also evaluated. 4432 Lexington Road has poor proximity to schools, and 1030 Barnett Shoals Road did not meet the required site visibility.
The process was lengthy, with the site selection committee narrowing down hundreds of locations to the final four.
“There were literally hundreds of parcels evaluated and then narrowed down to 10 that were looked at by the community, and then we narrowed them down to the four sites,” Myers said. “There was public input that went into that criteria.”
The SPLOST budget for the library is $14,449,000, with construction costing about $7.5 million. The funding is being handled by the SPLOST committee for construction, renovations and designs.
“We have to look at this and say, ‘Which one is the really best site for the community and the money we have involved?’ Then the site selection committee will make a recommendation to the mayor and commission,” Myers said. “They will either approve them or adjust them and the SPLOST office will go to site No.1 and see if we can get the site.”
Senior Art Conway looks forward to an East side library location, as it will shorten the distance between Cedar Shoals and the current Athens-Clarke County public library off Baxter St., which is about 20 minutes from Cedar by car.
“I think it will be easier for public library clubs to be accessible to Cedar Shoals students. A lot of clubs I’ve been to at the Baxter St. library are hard to get to in time,” Conway said.
A library on the East side will impact the community, especially students in surrounding middle and high schools. Cedar media specialist Megan Ogden is thrilled for the public library’s expansion as she hopes it will broaden access to resources she thinks students will take advantage of: tutoring programs, children’s activities and more access to computers and Wi-Fi.
“I’m hoping this means we can collaborate more easily with our Athens-Clarke County Library because we do collaborate with them some,” Ogden said.
Members of the public library will help out with the school’s open house, have free book giveaways and offer meetings to both students and teachers about how to use the library’s resources and tools.
With the completion date set for 2026, Athens has more than enough time to prepare for the impact the project will have on the community, local residents and students.
“Having the library be as accessible to as many people as possible would be very important to me,” Myers said.
