LA PLATA, Md. (July 26, 2008)—The proposed Waldorf Branch library took one more step toward become a reality after the Charles County Commissioners recently approved building of the facility. The location of the library was originally slated to be built on the same campus as the new North Point High School. However, the project is now in the negotiation and feasibility phase for another site in Waldorf.
Charles County public library director Emily Ferren said the facility will be much more than a library and will be called a Community Literacy Center.
“It will be dedicated to programs and services that provide children, parents, and other adults with the knowledge, skills, resources, experiences, and environment needed to allow them to fully participate in the emerging digital world of the early 21st century,” said Ferren.
The new library will be approximately 30,000 to 40,000 square feet that will include space primarily for the public library branch. The library will also provide facilities for performing arts, meeting rooms, and a television production studio through a franchise agreement with Comcast Cablevision of Maryland, Inc.
The Department of Planning and Growth Management will be responsible for managing this project through its feasibility, design, and construction phases. Preliminary cost estimates to complete this project total between $8 million and $10 million.
Design of the new library is scheduled to begin by the fall of this year, while construction is anticipated to start in late 2009.