People love their Preston Royal Library. And after last night’s community meeting about its future home at Forest and Nuestra, neighbors left concerned but optimistic about how one of the system’s most used libraries could one day become even better.
Councilman Ann Margolin hosted a forum Thursday to gather residents’ input on the design. The city bought the land with money from the 2006 bond election and began demolishing the abandoned Korean Young Nak Presbyterian Church a few weeks ago. However, there are no funds to actually build the library — not until another bond package passes.
So, don’t expect to see any construction for about two to five years, Margolin says. But here’s what we know so far:
– The new library will be about 18,000 square feet — nearly double its current size.
– The 3.4-acre lot is larger than that of most Dallas libraries, meaning there could be ways to utilize the extra land around the building.
– The plan includes two access points facing Forest and a turning lane.
– Most libraries have 90-100 parking spots; the church that previously occupied the space had 150.
– The city might consider installing another traffic light between Nuestra and the Tollway if needed for better traffic flow.
– The building will be LEED certified at the Gold level, and the architecture firm in charge of the design, Perkins & Will, plans to incorporate several sustainable features.
– In the meantime, the city will maintain the landscaping of the vacant lot at Forest and Nuestra so it won’t be a big ugly mound of rubble for five years.
Neighbors expressed concern about traffic flow, of course, and also how the process will affect those living closest to the library in Melshire Estates. And, Margolin was quick to address her biggest worry — the cost of maintaining the library.
“I want to be very careful that it’s as low-maintenance as possible so that it doesn’t significantly impact our operating budget,” she says.
At any rate, the community has welcomed the new library, and residents contributed some intriguing ideas that would greatly increase quality of life — particularly one about how to utilize the extra land around the building to create an indoor-outdoor garden area where children could go and not be “shhh’d” as one neighbor put it.
In fact, the city and its design team had already been seriously considering the idea, says David Trevino with the Public Works department. But at this point, with no funding, it’s too early to know its feasibility.
Another idea was to construct a pathway connecting the library to Melshire Estates, creating a gathering place for passersby walking their dogs.
In the bigger picture, most people agree that the library must be a community center. Because it’s not just about books, says Corinne Hill, interim director of libraries. It’s about the experience.
“This community is very passionate about this particular branch library. It should fit the community it’s built for,” she says.
And will the new library still be called Preston Royal now that it’s located on Forest? The name is somewhat iconic, and it might just stick.
