Cheryl Bush,
Marketing & Public Relations Manager
pr@wtcpl.org
330.399.8807 ext. 208

Library News

Warren-Trumbull County Public Library Board Announces Expansion Plan for Warren Library

(02/18/20) – The Warren-Trumbull County Public Library (W-TCPL) Board of Trustees is announcing plans for an expansion project at the Warren Library, located at 444 Mahoning Ave. NW.

The W-TCPL is developing plans for a 14,800 sq. ft. one-story addition to be built onto the south side of the Warren Library. The addition will increase the library building’s size by about 25%, from 58,029 sq. ft. to about 72,000 sq. ft. Sections of the current building will also be renovated to better support the library’s increasing technology needs and the need for more flexible spaces and public meeting rooms.

The estimated $8 million project is expected to go out for bids in July, with construction beginning in late August of 2020. The project may take 18 to 24 months to complete.

The library Board began discussing the need for an addition to the Warren Library as early as 2015, however, plans were put on hold until November 2019, when voters showed their support of the W-TCPL by passing a 0.4 mil library levy.

“We greatly appreciated that vote of confidence in the library as it will help provide a sustainable revenue stream for the future,” W-TCPL Board President Michael McGee said. “We are pleased that we are now able to move forward with this building project for our community.”

The W-TCPL will be issuing municipal bonds to finance the building project, McGee said.

W-TCPL Director Jim Wilkins said the library is continually adapting in order to serve the changing needs of the Trumbull County community.

“People’s expectations of the library today have changed as technology has changed,” Wilkins said. “People are looking for access to books and movies and music in multiple formats, and they are also looking for dynamic places to study and learn and to work and relax. The library must invest in facilities that will offer safe inviting spaces for our communities to thrive.”

Wilkins said the majority of the Warren Library’s new space will be utilized for the Children’s Department and the Teen Area to expand so they can offer enhanced programming and resources. The library will also increase its number of public meeting rooms from 3 to 15, with various size rooms to accommodate from 2 to 120 people.

“We know library customers in Warren and from all around Trumbull County will enjoy the increased opportunities for studying, meeting, and learning that this addition and renovation will provide,” Wilkins said.

The library Board is working with the Warren based architecture firm of Baker Bednar Snyder & Associates Inc. to develop plans for the building project.

Warren Library Proposed Architectural Elevations

About the Library

The Warren Library was built in 1971 and has 58,029 square feet on two floors with an attached garage.

The W-TCPL includes libraries in Brookfield, Cortland, Howland, Liberty, Lordstown, and Warren; a Bookmobile that travels throughout Trumbull County; community outreach to homebound individuals, daycares, and preschools; and a 24/7 website at www.wtcpl.org.

W-TCPL customers borrowed over 1 million items in 2019, including books, e-Books, movies on DVD, music CDs, magazines, audiobooks, and electronic resources.

The library’s robust programming schedule included 1,357 events in 2019, including ongoing activities such as computer classes, adult programming, preschool story times, and a Summer Reading & Learning Program.

W-TCPL Board of Trustees members are Michael McGee, president; Melissa Lattanzi, vice president; Donald Emerson, Jr., secretary; James Duff, Paulette Edington, Franklin Manios, and Karen Scher.

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