New Laurel Library Possible In 2013

The Friends of the Laurel Library began lobbying for a bigger library in the mid 1990s, and now, June 20, 2013 is the rough estimate of when a new, $7.6 million, 32,000 square feet Laurel library will be completed.

The much larger library is expected to feature a drive-through window and a wireless network so patrons can bring in laptops to access the Internet, said Michael B. Gannon, the library system’s associate director for administrative services.

Gannon said the working concept is for the old library on Seventh Street to be torn down. That site could then become a parking lot for the new branch to be built on an as-of-yet undetermined site adjoining Emancipation Park.

Gannon said one possibility was the city could purchase nearby residential space as a location for the new library.

Several years ago, there had been discussion that the library would be built on park grounds, which drew community protests. But Gannon said that is no longer the case.

“We want to incorporate the library into the park, not intrude on it. We want to make the new branch part of the park, to make the park nicer with more amenities,” he said. “Now the county needs to discuss with the city where they want it to be.”

Pat Behenna is president of the Friends of the Laurel Library. When told of the county government’s estimated completion date, she sighed. But she said she understood, and greatly appreciated the support of the library system, the county council and the county executive.

It’s nearly the middle of 2011, said Behenna, and “the land has to be acquired, they have to design, they have to plan and they have to build.”

“It’s absolutely wonderful that we’ve come this far,” she said.

At 12,000 square feet, the Laurel library branch is the busiest branch library per square foot in the Prince George’s County Memorial Library system and has long outgrown the community’s needs, said Gannon.

He cautioned that the 2013 date is a rough “time frame,” and that while the project is still in its infancy, preliminary details have emerged. He said the new Laurel library branch is expected to have:

• Large numbers of electrical outlets for laptop electrical adapters.
• Many more computers than the current branch.
• Two large meeting rooms, including a space for group study.
• A greater amount of shelf space. Currently, the Laurel branch doesn’t have room for all the books it possesses.
• A large amount of art. According to the county’s proposed Capital Improvement Plan, at least 1 percent of the project’s construction cost will be spent on art.

Gannon said the library system is waiting for the county and city officials to meet and discuss a specific site. He and Laurel Mayor Craig A. Moe said that meeting will be arranged by County Councilmember Mary A. Lehman (D-Dist. 1).

Moe estimated the meeting will probably occur within the next several months after the county and city have completed their yearly budget deliberations.

Lehman’s staff could not be reached for comment.