A ground breaking date will soon be determined for the expansion of the John and Judy Gay Library. McKinney City Council members approved a contract amendment at a meeting March 5 to include a payment amount of up to $8.6 million to Pogue Construction Co. for construction of the library expansion. The expansion comes after voters approved a bond in 2015, of which up to $9.5 million was designated for the library’s expansion. According to the site plan, approved in September, expansion will take place east of the existing building, located at 6861 Eldorado Parkway, on 160.31 acres of the McKinney community park addition next door. The expansion will add approximately 15,217 square feet onto the existing 20,437-square-foot building and will include additional teen, adult and toddler areas; two multipurpose rooms; over 3,000 square feet of outdoor program space; and 148 additional parking spaces. “This isn’t just a children’s library," Director of Libraries Spencer Smith said to Community Impact Newspaper in a previous article. "This is a full public library, and we want to accommodate everyone’s needs." A ground breaking is expected to be announced soon, Smith said. Other items of note In addition, the council also approved an ordinance amendment, which establishes a reduced-speed school zone and crosswalk at the intersection of McKinney Ranch Parkway and Silverado Trail for Elliot Elementary School, located at 3721 Hudson Crossing, McKinney. In an effort to follow city staff's recommendations, council voted to ease the eligibility requirements for applicants pursuing the 2019 McKinney Community Internship Program. These changes allow McKinney residents age 19 and under and full-time high school students age 21 and under to be eligible for the internship program. This compares to the 2018 program, which required applicants to be McKinney ISD students.