Ground broken on new Crest Hill library
By Tony Graf tgraf@stmedianetwork.com June 12, 2012 9:22PM
Updated: July 14, 2012 6:47AM
CREST HILL — The White Oak Library District broke ground Tuesday on a new library building that will be almost three times larger than its predecessor.
The building will be at 20670 Kubinski Drive, just north of the Crest Hill Menards store, at Caton Farm and Weber roads. The library will be in the heart of an important commercial corridor for the city.
“This is going to be a tremendous asset to our community,” Mayor Ray Soliman told the audience. “It will spur economic development hopefully along Weber Road here and make Crest Hill a destination point.”
Soliman discussed another kind of growth — education — which is just as important to a community.
“As a father of two daughters who are in education and the husband of a wife who is in education, I feel that, as a community, we have to value the education process,” Soliman said. “We have to value the services that the library can provide for all our residents and our guests, because knowledge is through education.”
The new library branch will replace the current Theodore Street building, which was built in 1969.
The Theodore Street branch is 7,600 square feet and has 18 parking spaces. The new branch will be about 22,000 square feet, with close to 100 parking spaces, said Scott Pointon, library district director.
When Pointon mentioned that fact, the audience applauded heartily.
The district hopes that construction will begin in July.
“We’re all very excited, and we wish it was opening tomorrow, but about a year from now, we’ll be standing here and having a ribbon cutting,” Pointon said.
This is a busy time for the White Oak Library District. The new building is part of an overall effort that is seeing major changes to branches in all three towns served by the district. The district is finishing up a renovation at its Romeoville branch and hopes to begin soon on a renovation in downtown Lockport.
Romeoville events
The Romeoville branch, 201 W. Normantown Road, closed temporarily June 1 for final work and will reopen Monday. The Romeoville Chamber of Commerce will have a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. on June 21 at the library.
