43
Library board purchases land for expansion of Canfield branch
CANFIELD — Library users could see an expansion of the Canfield Library within the next couple of years.
The Board of Trustees of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County voted to buy a lot for $175,000 at 52 Lisbon St., Canfield, during a special meeting on Tuesday, said Janet Loew, communications and public relations director for the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.
The purchased property is located behind the current Canfield Library, 43. W. Main St., said Loew, who was unsure of the acreage.
The trustees have been looking for property for a while, but “the point was to stay in the same location,” she said.
The proximity of the purchased lot could allow for an expansion of the current library or the construction of a new library in the same area.
“It’s a very busy library and does need to be expanded,” Loew said.
The current Canfield Library was built in 1969 and is 5,104 square feet.
It was estimated that a new Canfield library could serve more than 30,000 library users, according to www.library2011.org. Library 2011 is the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County’s system wide improvement plan.
Libraries in the system were analyzed during a yearlong study, and recommendations were made based on a facility’s demographics, physical structure, circulation and more, according to the Web site.
“The current [Canfield] facility is very crowded and not surprisingly, has a tired, overused look and feel,” stated the summary of recommendations from the Library 2011 study.
No official plans have been made for a new or updated Canfield Library, Loew said.
“The trustees had the opportunity to buy the lot, so they did, but plans are still a couple years out,” she said.