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by Kim
Fickett
Landmark reporter
Soon residents of Platte City will see a new
home for the local branch of the Mid-Continent
Library, with over twice the space as the current
site, wider aisles for patrons and the addition
of a drive-thru window.
Mid-Continent Library, which has 30 branches
across the metropolitan Kansas City area, will
be constructing the most open floor plan of all
at its new Platte City site.
The approximately 15,000 square foot building
will offer a few new features that the other branches
don’t have.
According to Steven Potter, business manager
for Mid-Continent Library, the building will feature
cast concrete opposed to brick/masonry, which
previously has been used by the other buildings.
“We decided to use the cast concrete to
compliment being next to the community center,”
said Potter. “It will compliment the center
nicely.”
The second differing feature is the openness
of the new facility. The current ceiling height
of the other buildings is between 9-14 feet; this
new building will reach a maximum height of 24
feet tall in the center of the building.
While the building is going to be single story,
because of the design of the center of the facility,
it will appear as if the building is a story and
a half.
Potter continued that another main difference
between this facility and the others is the addition
of a drive-thru window. The design includes a
window where patrons can drop off books and pick-up
books after calling ahead to have their selections
pulled by the staff.
The $2-3 million project, which will sit on six
acres of land, is currently in the preliminary
stages of the project.
Potter stated the first major step in the project
came last Tuesday night when the Platte City Board
of Alderman approved the final plat for the library.
The next step is to gain site plan approval from
planning and zoning, as well as the board of aldermen.
Potter continued that once all the approvals
have been given, they are hoping to see ground
being broken before winter.
Once the library is completed and they are able
to move in, Potter said Mid-Continent plans to
put the current facility on Main Street next to
city hall up for a sealed bid. The funds received
from the liquidation will be put back into the
reserved funds to construct future buildings.
The new library will operate under approximately
20 staff members. Hours for the library will be
Monday and Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday
and Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m.-5
p.m.
Potter stated that if activity warrants at the
new site, the branch may extend hours until 9
p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays.
“We’re very excited about this opportunity.
We’re ready to break ground and get the ball
rolling,” said Potter.
“We purchased the ground about a year ago
and we’re not going to let the dust settle
now. We’re ready to get the ball rolling,
get the building up and get ready for the people
of Platte City to use the facility as soon as
we can.”
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