Plans for new library are available for viewing

The new library will have a meeting room for 180 people.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LEETONIA -- People may visit the present Leetonia Community Public Library to see what the proposed facility would look like.
The new library would be bigger -- 14,000 square feet instead of the current 6,000 square feet.
Library Director Andy Smith has a floor plan and a small model for viewing until May 2 when voters will be asked to approve $1.45 million in funding -- in the form of a 1.59-mill levy for 25 years.
Smith said the library is putting some savings into the project and is seeking grants for what would be a $2.2 million project.
Legally, the library's boundaries are the same as the Leetonia School District, but the library does not receive funds from the school district.
The proposed location is the site of the former high school and football stadium. All the Leetonia schools are now consolidated in one facility about a quarter of a mile from the proposed library site.
The roof would have wood shingles. The exterior is still under consideration. Smith said it might be rock, brick, or wood that will blend in the architecture in what is otherwise a residential neighborhood.
The new one-story facility would face Walnut Street to the west. Natural light would enter through windows facing west and from a round, high ceiling above the lobby.
"It's a solid design," said Smith. "It's positive not only to the neighborhood but the community."
Existing library
Library officials say the existing library at 24 Walnut St. is too small.
After school, the library becomes busy with students doing research. The present facility has six computers. The new one would have the capacity for 24 or more.
The new facility would offer a covered entry for vehicles, a room set aside for youth stories and a casual periodical area with a fireplace.
The present library has been offering coffee. The new facility would have vending machines in a step toward more amenities for patrons.
The northern portion of the building would hold books for all ages. The southern portion would include periodicals, audio-visual materials, archive storage and genealogy materials.
The genealogy materials include Leetonia High School yearbooks. "We do get a lot of calls about that," Smith said.
The southern portion of the library would include a meeting room for 180 people, along with a pantry and restrooms. Smith said that area can be secured from the rest of the library. The village presently doesn't have a large meeting room.
There would be parking in front. The auxiliary parking to the south of the facility is where the former high school once stood. Staff parking would be east of the building along with a book drop-off for drivers.
The district's former fieldhouse -- a separate building east of the staff parking lot library -- will be used for storage.
Possible additions to the library may include electronic self-checkout in the lobby and a patio. The library may also plant trees around the proposed facility.