Board votes to relocate Poland Library
The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County board of trustees has officially decided to relocate the Poland library branch following a special meeting on Wednesday evening.
The board also approved the purchase of the property for the project near Denver Drive, provided the land is up to the board’s standards.
“We felt we had to make the right decision based not only on finances, but on long-term programming and so forth, actually for a new generation,” said board member Robert Frost, who voted in favor of relocation.
The board previously ordered an investigation to determine if the branch should stay at its South Main Street location or move to a new site.
The board brought a motion to vote for renovation, but it failed.
The relocation proposal faced opposition from Poland residents and the Poland Village Council. Local leaders recently passed a resolution asking the board to keep the library in its current building.
At the meeting, the board heard 10 public comments in favor of renovation to the Poland Library, which included statements from the Mahoning County Commissioners and State Senator Al Cutrona.
“I’m bitterly disappointed, I thought we had a chance, I thought we had some momentum going,” said Poland Village Councilman Chris Graff after the meeting.
Canfield resident John Yerian says he believes the board’s decision to relocate against the wishes of the community will make it harder for future library levies to pass.
“Disappointed, not just for the Poland branch or the community of Poland, but for the overall library association,” he said.
Library system estimates show a new building would cost between $6.4 million and $9.6 million. Renovating the existing branch is estimated to cost $7.6 million. However, library administration officials said long-term maintenance costs over 30 years would be about $5 million higher for a renovated building than for a new facility.
“Because the next time we have this discussion, we want to make sure we are thirty years down the line,” said President and CEO Aimee Fifarek.
Mahoning County commissioners previously expressed support for keeping the library at its current site.
As of now, there is no timeline for when the new library will be completed or what will happen to the current Poland Library building.
Fifarek tells 21 News that the Poland Library will continue to offer its services for at least another year as plans for relocation develop.
More information on the relocation will be shared as it becomes available.
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