The two-story, 47,000-square-foot library will be the anchor of the Bell District, a future mixed-use development where people can eat, spend time and shop, according to a release from the city.
In a speech kicking off the ribbon-cutting, Mayor Jim Penniman-Morin said the library will be to Cedar Park what Fenway Park is to Boston: the “beating heart” of the city.
Located at 425 South Parkwest Drive, the library has dedicated children’s and teen spaces; community meeting rooms; and maker spaces for arts and crafts, 3D printing and more.
What they’re saying
Community members and leaders alike agreed that libraries are more than they used to be.
“Now we have maker spaces, we got multimedia services,” City Council member Mel Kirkland said. “Whether you’re visually or hearing impaired, there’s services here for any person in our community.”
Maclean Dove, a former member of the Cedar Park Public Library Foundation board, said a library is more than just a place to read.
“This would be a perfect place for [my sister and I] to meet up with our kids that are all around the same age, especially with the outdoor activities and all of the research and stuff that we can do,” Dove said.
Children's areas at the library include a courtyard, a playground, and a water table in addition to an indoor children's section with a two-story play house, toys and interactive displays.
“It is so crazy to hear these statistics of the foot traffic that comes in here from people who need to be able to use the internet,” she said.
Quote of note
“This library’s been in the works for 10 years and something the city is heavily invested in—in all meanings of that word—monetarily, emotionally, timewise—because we just know it’s going to showcase who we are as a city,” Penniman-Morin said. “A library nowadays is not just a celebration of learning, but also of community.”
