Newport library opens at Market/Midlothian

By Katie Seminara

YOUNGSTOWN — Laura Olivier envisions walking to the new Newport Branch Library with her two daughters when summer rolls around, she said.

“It’s exciting,” the 42-year-old Boardman resident said of having a branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County nearby.

Olivier takes her daughters, Anna, 6, and Catherine, 2, to the library about once a week and usually drives to Poland, Boardman or the downtown Youngstown branches.

Since the Newport Branch, 3730 Market St., Youngstown, opened, she and the girls don’t have to travel so far.

Olivier and Catherine’s first visit to the Newport Branch was Friday during the dedication ceremony for the new library.

More than 50 people joined in the christening of the $3.6 million project with 17,965 square feet of library space. Newport actually opened its doors Feb. 7 and replaced the former 6,450-square-foot South Branch, which was built in 1929.

“I used to shop here, hang out here at a younger age,” Jason T. Whitehead, Youngstown mayor’s chief of staff, said of the library that took over the Giant Eagle building at the corner of Market Street and Midlothian Boulevard.

“This transformation is absolutely excellent,” he said.

The building used to house shelves of produce and canned goods, but now holds shelves of books and rooms filled with resources for all ages.

“This is a vision that became a reality,” Whitehead said.

The location of the new branch touches Youngstown and Boardman, enabling children from both areas to interact and build relationships, he said.

Situated on Market Street, the new branch acts as a gateway into Youngstown and can be seen from the intersection of Market Street and U.S. Route 224. The building has a modern feel with many vibrant colors lining the walls and the floor.

There are separate areas for teens, children and also a pre-literacy room adorned with giant alphabet blocks and pictures of kids on the walls.

“Someone stopped me the other day and said, ‘It puts a smile on my face just being here,’” Library Director Carlton A. Sears said during the dedication ceremony. “That’s really the best compliment we can get.”

“[This library] will help transform your community, it will help transform your life, and that’s really what it’s all about,” Sears said.

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Sears recognized library board member R. Frank Huntley, who died about a year ago. Huntley’s wife, Edith, and daughter, Donna, were at the dedication and said he worked very hard to make the new libraries in Youngstown a reality.

“This is something he was passionate about,” Donna Huntley said.

“He would be overjoyed,” she said of her father.

Donna moved back to Youngstown from Miami, Fla., after her father’s death and said seeing development in the area such as the Newport and new East Branch libraries shows hope.

“The most important thing you can give someone is access to information,” she said. “[My father] really believed in education for everyone.”