By Stacey Tinsley, stinsley@bossierpress.com
Steps have been taken to build a new library for the Haughton area.
Representatives from Bossier Parish Libraries, the Library Board of Control, and the Bossier Parish Police Jury signed papers January 11 to purchase land in Haughton for a new, larger library branch.
The property is located on N. Hazel Street, near the new Haughton Middle School, ensuring the branch remains accessible for the community that it serves.
Due to the continued growth and high demand for land in Haughton, the decision was made to purchase the land now instead of waiting.
“For a while now our Haughton Branch has been quickly outgrowing its physical building. This land purchase is the first step toward expanding the Haughton Branch to accommodate the area’s growth, and to continue to meet the needs of our patrons,” said Andrea Gilmer, Bossier Parish Library Community Engagement Librarian.
The follow up steps will include drawing plans for the new facility, which should be finalized in early 2019, and then construction. Construction is estimated to be completed in three to five years.
This timeframe is due in part to existing plans to complete a total renovation of the Central Library, which is expected to take a few years to accomplish.
“We look forward to what our new Central Library facility will be able to provide for our community, and further look to the future home of our Haughton Branch with anticipation that it will exceed the expectations of our patrons,” said Gilmer.
Recognizing that Haughton’s current library is a huge asset to the town, Haughton Mayor Jack Hicks says he feels that a larger library will allow it to better serve the community.
“I was very pleased to hear that our library will be building a new branch. The public library is a huge asset to our community and I feel that a larger facility will allow them to better serve our citizens. I look forward to the new location and enjoying all that it has to offer,” said Hicks.
Hearing the news of a new library coming to Haughton, avid book reader and frequent visitor to the current Haughton library, Madisen Dickey, says she is excited to have a new library and hopes that it will attract more of the community.
“I will be excited to have a new library because I love to go there after school and do my homework in a quiet place and also be able to read in my free time. I think that the location is ideal, right next to the park, because it will hopefully attract the kids that go to the park to stop by and get a book,” said Dickey.
