Dayton Metro Library to start construction on new Northmont branch

A rendering of the east exterior of the planned Northmont branch of the Dayton Metro Library. Courtesy of Dayton Metro Library.

A rendering of the east exterior of the planned Northmont branch of the Dayton Metro Library. Courtesy of Dayton Metro Library.

Construction will begin this week on the Dayton Metro Library system’s new Northmont branch, which will almost double the amount of space the current library has.

Jayne Klose, a spokesman for the Dayton Metro Library, said the new space will be out more in front on National Road, be easily accessible for Northmont High School students and have more space for teens, children and adults. It will cost $9.8 million to build.

A rendering of the site plan for the Northmont branch of the Dayton Metro Library. Courtesy of Dayton Metro Library.

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The new library also includes a community room for the public when the library is not open, a conference room and six study spaces.

“All of that is going to make it such a different experience for the patrons,” Klose said.

The Dayton Metro Library paid $330,000 for six acres in Englewood at the beginning of 2020. The new library will be located on West National Road next to the Legacy at Cypress Pointe Health Campus and near Centennial Park’s baseball field.

The current branch is in leased space that is part of the Englewood Government Center.

This library is part of a series of libraries that were built with a $187 million levy passed in 2012. A total of 17 libraries are planned to be built with the money, with most already completed. The last project built with the funds will be the new Huber Heights library, which is expected to be completed in 2023.

Klose said the current library has a high attendance at children’s programs and has two children’s librarians because of the high demand from families with children.

“The new children’s space will be larger with an area focused on preschoolers and early literacy and an area better suited to serve tweens,” she said.

She said there will also be more space for teens, as the current teen space is a few chairs tucked in the stacks near their collections. The new building will have a dedicated teen space for studying, gaming and gathering.

With the new spaces for children and teens, adults also may need some quiet areas. There will be an additional quiet reading room in the library, Klose said.

Mike Stevens, Clayton’s mayor, said he had seen the plans for the library and said he thought the new library would be a “dramatic addition” to the Northmont community.

“I’m really, really happy to see it finally coming around,” Stevens said.

Klose said the library is expected to be open to the public in the fall of 2022.

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