Newest Johnson County Library branch opens in Merriam
MERRIAM, Kan. — The newest Johnson County Library is officially open after a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday at the $14 million space near Merriam Community Center.
Merriam Plaza Library broke ground in November 2022. Many showed up to the ribbon-cutting after two years of construction and millions of dollars used to build the new facility.
“I think this is just a testament to the importance of libraries in the community,” Johnson County Library marketing and communications manager Elissa Andre said.
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“I know our community has been looking forward to this for a long time. We have a long history of libraries and Merriam. The first Johnson County Library is located in Merriam. That was Antioch Library up the street and this building replaces that.”
Antioch Library opened in 1957. The aging building with limited parking space closed in January and staff began moving 67,000 materials and equipment to the new Merriam Plaza Library.
The Merriam Community Center is within the same courtyard as the new 15,000-square-foot library, making it convenient for those who plan to utilize both.
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“We’re on a community center campus that allows people to come to one place,” Andre said. “You can go to the community center to exercise your body and then walk across the courtyard and exercise your mind at the library.”
Andre said this is Johnson County’s first all-electric building. The library also has an environmentally friendly “green roof” and a drive-through for those in a hurry who need to pick up or drop off a book.
