COLUMBUS—Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) has kicked off construction of its new Reynoldsburg Branch (1402 Brice Rd.) with a ceremonial “wallbreaking.”
Wallbreakers include:
Angela Abram, Vice President, Reynoldsburg City Schools Board of Education
Uma Acharya, Reynoldsburg Outreach Program Manager, Center for New Americans
Jonathan Barnes, Principal, JBAD Architects
The Honorable Joe Begeny, Mayor, City of Reynoldsburg
Dave Brown, Project Executive, Turner Construction
The Honorable Richard Brown, Representative, Ohio House of Representatives
Charlie Fraas, President, Columbus Metropolitan Library Foundation
Timothy Frommeyer*, Executive Vice President and CFO, Nationwide Mutual Insurance
Dr. Dan Good, Interim Superintendent, Reynoldsburg City Schools
Ariam Habtemariam, Reynoldsburg Branch VolunTeen, Reynoldsburg High School Class of 2022
Charlie Hansen, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Columbus Metropolitan Library
Jennifer Hess, Reynoldsburg Branch Manager, Columbus Metropolitan Library
Keri Allen Hogan, Director of Advancement, Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services
The Honorable Latyna Humphrey, Representative, Ohio House of Representatives
The Honorable Meredith Lawson-Rowe, Member, Reynoldsburg City Council
Brian Mooney, Vice President & General Manager, Turner Construction
The Honorable Bhuwan Pyakurel, Member, Reynoldsburg City Council
Catherine Strauss*, Managing Partner, Ice Miller LLP
David White*, Vice President, Chief Information Officer, Battelle
* Columbus Metropolitan Library Board of Trustees member
To prepare for construction, the former Reynoldsburg Branch closed on June 18. CML opened a temporary location at 1308 Brice Rd. in the Brice & Main Centre on June 29. The temporary Reynoldsburg Branch is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and closed Sunday.
The former Reynoldsburg Branch, built in 1980 and renovated in 1990, was one of the most heavily used branches in CML’s 23-location system. The new two-level Reynoldsburg Branch, to be built on the same site, will nearly double the size of the former branch from roughly 19,800 square feet to approximately 37,500 square feet. Turner is the construction manager at risk and JBAD and GUND Partnership are the architects.
In 2019, CML completed Phase I of its aspirational building program, which renovated or rebuilt 10 of its 23 locations:
- The new Driving Park Branch opened July 12, 2014
- The new Whitehall Branch opened April 11, 2015
- The new Parsons Branch opened June 4, 2016
- The transformed Main Library opened June 25, 2016
- The new Northern Lights Branch opened Sept. 24, 2016
- The new Shepard Branch opened Oct. 13, 2016
- The new Northside Branch opened June 22, 2017
- The new Hilliard Branch opened June 21, 2018
- The new Martin Luther King Branch opened Oct. 18, 2018
- The new Dublin Branch opened June 6, 2019
The Reynoldsburg Branch project is part of Phase II, which is renovating or rebuilding an additional eight locations:
- The new Karl Road Branch opened Sept. 9, 2021
- The transformed Hilltop Branch opened Sept. 30, 2021
- The new Gahanna Branch is expected to open in 2023
- The new Reynoldsburg Branch is expected to open in 2024
- A transformed Barnett Branch is being planned
- A transformed Linden Branch is being planned
- A new Canal Winchester Branch is being planned
- A new Marion-Franklin Branch is being planned
Great libraries create stronger communities, and each CML location is an essential hub that reflects the unique needs of the neighborhood it serves. Some of the library’s 23 locations are decades old and inadequate to meet the demands of a growing 21st century community. CML will continue to invest in and refresh those library locations not included in its building program to meet its customers’ needs.
The aspirational building program is a multi-phased comprehensive blueprint that reinvents and revitalizes the entire 600,000 square feet maintained by the library.
In addition to being a vital community asset, Columbus Metropolitan Library strives to minimize its environmental footprint. With each new building or renovation project, CML plans to use sustainable building materials, incorporate glass for natural light to reduce energy costs and introduce other design and building elements friendly to the natural environment.
Visit columbuslibrary.org for more information and to track progress of CML’s ambitious building program.
