What's in store for 2024 in Louisville? New library, fire station and ball fields

Kelli Weir, Canton Repository
·3 min read
It looks to be a busy year for construction in Louisville with a new library and fire station ready to break ground, new baseball fields on the way and a monthslong road project wrapping up.
It looks to be a busy year for construction in Louisville with a new library and fire station ready to break ground, new baseball fields on the way and a monthslong road project wrapping up.

Editor’s note: The Canton Repository asked leaders in each of Stark County’s 17 townships, 11 villages and six cities to share some highlights about what's in store for 2024 in their communities.

The responses include the return of some family-friendly events, a variety of new businesses and some much-needed improvements to longstanding structures. We will be presenting these community highlights to you throughout the upcoming months.

LOUISVILLE – It looks to be a busy year for construction in Louisville with a new library and fire station ready to break ground, new baseball fields on the way and a monthslong road project wrapping up.

Here is what’s in store for 2024 in the city of roughly 9,500 residents:

Road work at the intersection North Nickel Plate Avenue and East Main Street in Louisville is expected to be completed this month.
Road work at the intersection North Nickel Plate Avenue and East Main Street in Louisville is expected to be completed this month.

Main Street and Nickel Plate Avenue intersection to reopen

After five months of being closed, the East Main Street (state Route 153) and Nickel Plate Avenue intersection could open as soon as this week. Interim City Manager Andrew Turowski said the city is waiting for some electrical work and final inspections to be completed.

The $1.6 million project widened the intersection, added turn lanes along Main Street for North Nickel Plate and for South Nickel Plate, upgraded the traffic signals and installed new infrastructure under the roadway. City officials have said the project was needed to help ease congestion at the intersection and make it easier for school buses and trucks to navigate.

“We anticipate this will alleviate considerable frustration and delay with navigating the intersection,” Turowski said.

Crews are expected to break ground for the city’s new fire station later this year. The $8.6 million facility will be built on vacant land at 1010 S. Chapel St., which is just north of the Ravenna Avenue and Chapel Street intersection pictured here.
Crews are expected to break ground for the city’s new fire station later this year. The $8.6 million facility will be built on vacant land at 1010 S. Chapel St., which is just north of the Ravenna Avenue and Chapel Street intersection pictured here.

Fire station construction to begin

Crews are expected to break ground for the city’s new fire station later this year. The $8.6 million facility will be built on vacant land at 1010 S. Chapel St. that the city bought from the Louisville City School District in 2021.

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At approximately 16,000 square feet, the facility will accommodate the growing operation of the Louisville Fire Department, which has a full-time chief and 21 part-time employees who also handle emergency medical services in the city. The department’s more than 50-year-old fire station at 215 S. Mill St. is not large enough for modern fire equipment and does not include necessary features such as a biohazard decontamination chamber.

The city is accepting proposals from companies interested in providing construction manager at-risk services for the project through Feb. 5.

The Louisville Public Library plans to break ground on its 10,000-square-foot facility this spring at Metzger Park. Library officials say the stone façade chosen for the entrance will match the popular stone wall in the park that remains from the former Metzger Farm.
The Louisville Public Library plans to break ground on its 10,000-square-foot facility this spring at Metzger Park. Library officials say the stone façade chosen for the entrance will match the popular stone wall in the park that remains from the former Metzger Farm.

Louisville Public Library construction to begin

The Louisville Public Library plans to break ground on its 10,000-square-foot facility this spring.

Through a 99-year lease with the city, the new facility will be located along the western edge of Metzger Park, which is located at 1420 S. Nickel Plate Ave. It will share a roughly 150-space parking lot that is being built for four new baseball fields at the park that will also be installed this year.

The Louisville Public Library plans to break ground on its 10,000-square-foot facility this spring. It will be located on the western side of Metzger Park, near Nickel Plate Avenue. In this conceptual site layout, the library is shown in red.
The Louisville Public Library plans to break ground on its 10,000-square-foot facility this spring. It will be located on the western side of Metzger Park, near Nickel Plate Avenue. In this conceptual site layout, the library is shown in red.

The library has hired Caplea Studio Architects and Fred Olivieri Construction for the $3.9 million project that is expected to be completed within a year. The library is using money it has saved, funds it has borrowed and money it has raised through an ongoing capital fundraising campaign that stands at nearly $516,000. The library has pledged not to seek a levy for the project.

Library officials say the exterior design of the building draws inspiration from the park. The stone façade chosen for the entrance will match the popular stone wall in the park that remains from the former Metzger Farm. It will have a metal roof and board and batten siding.

The library's Sensory Space will remain open in the Discovery Center until the new library building is completed. The Sensory Space will then move to the new building.

The Chamber of Commerce and Friends of the Louisville Public Library book sale will remain in the Discovery Center at 504 E. Main St.

The library’s current main building at 700 Lincoln Ave., which was purchased and maintained by the library and Louisville City School District, will become the school district’s property once it is vacated, library officials have said.

The Louisville Public Library plans to break ground on its 10,000-square-foot facility this spring at Metzger Park at 1420 S. Nickel Plate Ave.
The Louisville Public Library plans to break ground on its 10,000-square-foot facility this spring at Metzger Park at 1420 S. Nickel Plate Ave.

Reach Canton Repository staff writer Kelli Weir at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Louisville to break ground on fire station, library and ball fields