8500 George Washington Memorial Highway, Yorktown, VA 23692
The Board of Supervisors voted last week to approve the purchase of .91 acres on George Washington Memorial Highway that will be used for a Yorktown Library expansion.
The acquisition of the undeveloped land, which the county purchased for $320,000, has been budgeted in the county’s Capital Improvements Plan — a 10-year plan for major projects — and will be used to expand the library by about 10,000 square feet.
The new space will have more meeting and study rooms to accommodate the expanded youth services programs, York County Public Library Director Kevin Smith said.
He plans to offer more digital education, as well as early childhood education and lifelong learning programs that have a particular focus on STEM. The interior of the current building will also be remodeled.
“Right now, it’s still in the conceptual stage,” Smith said. “I’m really happy the county was able to acquire that land.”
Supervisors budgeted just under $4 million for the project between fiscal years 2015 to 2024. That cost will include the design and construction of the expansion, as well as new equipment, books and audio visual items.
The CIP indicates the expansion is necessary for the projected 10,000 new residents to join the county over the next 20 years.
Smith expects more Yorktown library patrons from Nelson’s Grant, a nearby mixed-use development that is currently constructing 109 residential units.
A 1,000-square-foot loading dock has also been budgeted for the Tabb Library, but Smith said that expansion is considered a lower priority.
“We’re focusing all of our attention on the Yorktown library,” he said.
Design for the Yorktown library is expected to begin in 2019, according to the CIP.
The Yorktown Library, which opened in 1984, and the Tabb library, which opened in 1999, currently serve about 60,354 patrons and have about 30,000 visitors per month.
