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| Image: Barney Moss |
Written by Don Gilman
The City Council of Mesquite, Nev., will meet Tuesday, July 7, at 1:30 p.m., to consider the affirmation of the decision made by the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Mesquite to transfer land to the Las Vegas – Clark County Library District for the construction of a new library. If passed, the Council will transfer 4.5 acres of land to the District. Estimated costs of the new library are $7 million. When constructed, the building will be approximately 16,000 square feet and would meet the growing demands of the city.
The City of Mesquite purchased 3.2 acres at 105 West Mesquite Blvd. in 2009 for the express purpose of building a new library, but the economic recession delayed construction. Library District Executive Director Ronald Heezen recently stated his desire to see construction begin soon on the new library. All costs are expected to be paid by the Library District. In addition to the new facility, the current library will be retained as a programmable space.
According to the “Statement of Need” written by the Las Vegas – Clark County Library District, the city of Mesquite is expected to grow by more than 23 percent by 2019. The current library, which was built in 1990, is no longer considered adequate to meet current needs. Use of the library has increased dramatically. From fiscal year 2012-13 to fiscal year 2013-14, youth program attendance increased by 80 percent while adult program attendance increased by 313 percent. The Mesquite Library currently has the highest computer usage of rural counties in Nevada, with computers at the library regularly used at capacity.
The new library will have increased seating, more computers and larger wireless capacity to meet the growing demands of the city. It will also have a dedicated service desk for the children’s department, increased space for volunteers and a larger selection of book and other circulatory materials.
The current library was expanded in 2012 at a cost of $679,000.
