Outdoor area planned for Bexley library more than a reading room
A new public park that would function as an outdoor addition to the Bexley Public Library, 2411 E. Main St., is among the capital projects in Bexley’s proposed 2023 budget.
Conceived more than 10 years ago by the library staff, the original outdoor reading room concept was intended to create an open-air space for library patrons to sit quietly and read, library Director Ben Heckman said. The new outdoor reading room concept bridges the space between BPL and Torat Emet Synagogue, 2375 E. Main St., and would have space for seating, small programs and a water feature, he said.
“We like it because we’ll be able to program in this space,” Heckman said. “We have had a preliminary design where we’re trying to create spaces where we can have a puppet show (and) story time outside. We’ll be able to have music outside. We’ll be able to put food trucks on Main Street and use that whole front of the library and the reading room in between.”
The city is including the BPL’s outdoor reading room in its 2023 Year of the Parks initiative, which includes enhancements to several parks and recreation facilities, Mayor Ben Kessler said.
The purpose of the outdoor reading room is “to see that space between the library and the synagogue come alive, that’s more than a driveway to nowhere,” Kessler said.
The most recent draft of the city’s 2023 budget, which was posted at Bexley.org and presented at City Council’s Nov. 15 meeting, estimates Year of the Parks initiative funding at $2.7 million, in addition to $1.6 million in capital expenditures for the police department, the service department and City Hall.
The proposed budget states that the cost of the outdoor reading room will be determined by final designs, which are being prepared by Spruce Designs and the MKSK architectural firm.
Construction of the outdoor reading room will be financed by a combination of library funds, in-kind donations from Torat Emet Synagogue, and by Bexley’s Main Street Streetscape Fund, according to the 2023 budget proposal. Construction on the outdoor reading room is tentatively scheduled to begin in summer 2023 and be completed that fall.
Other 2023 projects included in the Year of the Parks initiative include:
Constructing a new arboretum in the existing Commonwealth Park, located across from Jeffrey Mansion, 165 N. Parkview Ave. The arboretum will include a new walkway, several new trees and the installation of a new pond and bridge, at a total estimated cost of $400,000. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring with a fall completion.
Completing renovations to Commonwealth Park athletics fields, which began in spring 2022 and are scheduled to be completed in spring 2023 at a total estimated cost of $460,000.
Constructing a Commonwealth Park Connector, which will connect the Columbia Avenue section between the east and west ends of Commonwealth Park, with new medians and recessed parking. The park will be bookended by plazas and pergolas. The total cost of the project is estimated at $500,000 and work is scheduled to begin in the summer and completed in the fall.
Completing the new Bexley Natural Dog Park at Schneider Park in southwest Bexley, near the Astor Avenue entrance. The project is projected to cost a total of $65,000. Construction began in summer 2022 and is expected to be finished in this spring.
Building a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge at Schneider Park near the Astor Avenue entrance. The bridge will connect the Alum Creek Trail to central Ohio’s regional bikeway system, at a projected total cost of $800,000. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring or summer and completed by the end of the year, pending final designs.
Funding for these projects will come from a combination of city funds, Ohio Public Works Commission funds and grants from the Ohio Public Works Commission and the Bexley Community Foundation, the budget states.
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Outdoor area planned for Bexley library more than a reading room
