Harford County celebrates opening of new Darlington Library

Tony Roberts, The Aegis, Bel Air, Md.
·4 min read

Oct. 20—Harford County officials and community members celebrated the ribbon cutting of the new Darlington Library on Wednesday.

"Anytime we get to open a new library, it is special," said Mary Hastler, CEO of Harford County Public Library.

The branch will have a trail connecting the Harford County Agricultural Center, the Grove and fitness playground as one of the ways it will be supporting the agricultural community, Hastler said.

"The theme with this branch is agriculture," Hastler said. "This wholistic approach is supporting our local Ag community. We are kind of putting it all together with library, the Ag center and the Grove as well as Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding."

The new library building is a repurposed, upcycled building. The building is approximately 4,000 square feet and is located on 1.9 acres at 3535 Conowingo Road.

"The new Darlington Library will be a community gathering place," Hastler said. "Repurposing a vacant building into a state-of-the-art public library supports our mission of creating a wonderful resource for the community."

The new Darlington Library offers three, first-in-the-system features: 24/7 exterior locker pick up for books and materials; a tablet tower for customers to read magazines and explore apps; and an exterior patio with fireplace for community gatherings.

Other features include a whimsical fence/gate; hitching rail for customers' four-legged friends; story walk along the outdoor walking trail leading to the Harford County Agricultural Center; preschool learning area; two small conference rooms off the foyer; several book drops; drive-through window service; public computers, printing and copier services; free Wi-Fi access throughout the property; and a FocalPoint Biofiltration System.

The property was purchased for $850,000 in 2020 by Harford County Government and Harford County Public Library.

Through the support of the Harford County Public Library Foundation, the property was secured and is located at the intersection of Conowingo Road (Route 1) and Route 136, a highly-traveled route in the county with a strong historical heritage.

The building was originally constructed in 1996 as a Wawa, before the convenience store acquired a larger piece of property across the street and relocated. A few banks operated out of the building until it was purchased by the county and library in 2020.

The community expressed a desire for the library to retain the original building's footprint, and the library and county incorporated the community's wishes in the planning, according to a HCPL news release. Along with retaining the original building's footprint, the library's outdoor features make it very community friendly, said Karen Petr, a library associate at the new branch.

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"I think this is going to be a great connection for the community with the outside areas," Petr said. "Even when we are not open to the public, we are open to the public with the lockers and the trails."

The funding to renovate the interior and exterior of the building was $2.6 million and includes all associated mechanical, electrical, plumbing and site work. In addition, a budget of $500,000 was allocated for furnishings, shelving, new technology and other features. The library recruited and hired additional staff in anticipation of a larger library and additional services, according to a HCPL news release.

Funding for the project came from Harford County Government, Harford County Public Library, Harford County Public Library Foundation, Friends of Harford County Public Library, Katherine and Bryan Kelly and the Morris Mechanic Foundation.

Replacing the Darlington Library is part of Harford County Public Library's 2018 Master Plan. The Darlington Library was previously located in a modular structure in Darlington Village. The branch was only 1,473 square feet. Prior to the construction of the new building, it was not feasible to construct a new library because of several issues, including limited property availability, according to a HCPL news release.

"This whole site has been a dream for over 10 years, and the library will be a linchpin," said County Executive Barry Glassman. "It's going to be a tremendous asset to north Harford, and what I love most about it is that it pays homage to our agricultural heritage."

The Darlington Library is one of 11 branches in the Harford County Public Library system.