Public Input on East Side Public Library Designs through Dec. 15

The Athens-Clarke County Unified Government (ACCGov) invites residents to provide input on designs for a new library branch on the east side of the community as part of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) 2020 Project 25 - East Side Public Library. The branch will be located at 1030 Barnett Shoals Road.

Three drop-in open house sessions are scheduled in December for residents to learn more about the designs and provide feedback with the project team. The sessions include:

• Wednesday, December 4 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Athens-Clarke County Library Multipurpose Room (2025 Baxter Street)
• Wednesday, December 11 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Fire Station #7 (2350 S. Barnett Shoals Road)
• Wednesday, December 11 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at Fire Station #7 (2350 S. Barnett Shoals Road)

Comments will also be accepted through an online form available at www.accgov.com/eastsidelibrary through December 15. The webpage also contains additional project information, including recordings of the presentations to the Mayor and Commission at their September 3, 2024 Regular Session and the November 12, 2024 Work Session and detailed design drawings.

Additionally, residents will have the opportunity to suggest a song that is representational of Athens or inspirational in nature in terms of expanding horizons. The design team is considering options to symbolically represent the encoding of a song on the façade of the building.

At their September 3, 2024 meeting, the Mayor and Commission unanimously approved 1030 Barnett Shoals Road as the location for the new library. The site is currently owned by ACCGov, is adjacent to North Oconee River Greenway segments, has adjacent bus stops on both sides of Barnett Shoals Road, and has potential acreage available for future expansion.

Approximately $14.4 million has been designated for the project through SPLOST funds. This funding includes design, construction, public art, books, land acquisition, permitting, and furniture and equipment among other items.

The Mayor and Commission is tentatively scheduled to vote on the schematic design in February 2025, with construction bidding to follow in the fall of 2025. Construction is anticipated to be complete by the spring of 2027.

For more information, contact the Capital Projects Department at 706-613-3025 or [email protected] or visit www.accgov.com/splost.