Some neighbors and citizens say these services are needed and beneficial, and will add to Salem Avenue’s and northwest Dayton’s spreading revitalization.
Many former library buildings are iconic, and evoke strong emotions and feelings from community members, and the library to the best of its ability has tried to find buyers for the branches it has vacated who have redevelopment plans that are a good fit for the surrounding areas, said Tim Kambitsch, executive director of the Dayton Metro Library.
“One of the things I always hoped was there would be a reuse that would help give benefit to the community,” said Kambistch, referring to the Dayton View branch.
The Dayton Metro Library has sold eight of its former library branches that it exited as part of its system-wide upgrade and building project. All of the former properties found new uses, officials say.
The Dayton Metro Library closed the Dayton View branch in 2016.
The library, at 1515 Salem Ave., and two other branches consolidated operations into the new Northwest Dayton Branch Library, less than one mile away at 2410 Philadelphia Drive.
Washington wants to convert the 6,000-square-foot facility into a children’s dental practice and a five-star preschool learning facility, according to documents shared with the Dayton Daily News.
The Dayton View library opened in 1930 and countless people have fond memories of their time there, Kambitsch said.
“It’s one of those legacy facilities ― when I talk to people in the community, to this day, there are probably more people who remember it from their childhood than any other branch we’ve had,” Kambitsch said.
Multiple potential buyers showed interest in the Dayton View facility.
But Kambitsch said some business plans were questionable and other proposals were unacceptable.
He said he feared the buildings might wind up sitting empty for prolonged periods and he was determined to avoid undesirable uses ― like “a vape shop.”
Many people are emotionally invested in library buildings even long after library operations move out because they have memories they cherish, he said.
Public libraries sometimes are called “the palaces of the people” because they play an important role in learning, bonding, self-discovery and making life better for their communities, officials say.
“No matter who we sell these buildings to, they often have ‘library’ etched into the side of the building, and people forever think of them as libraries,” Kambitsch said.
Washington’s redevelopment plans serve a public purpose, and will provide opportunities for some community members to visit and enjoy the building’s architecture and history, he said.
The announced closure of the Dayton View library caused an uproar among some community members because they valued and cared so much about the important asset, said Jule Rastikis, president of the Salem Avenue Peace Corridor LLC and president of Manco Property Services.
Kambitsch and the library deserve a lot credit for finding a buyer whose planned reuse is perfect and fitting and is consistent with the Peace Corridor’s mission of safety, prosperity and quality of life, he said.
“We’re glad the library and Tim had the wherewithal and thought to be considerate of the neighborhood,” Rastikis said. “That’s a big thing for an entity to have empathy.”
Like the Dayton View facility, the other two branches that consolidated into the Northwest Branch also have been sold.
The Northtown-Shiloh branch is being used as a church, Kambitsch said, and the Ft. McKinley branch has a new tenant.
The east and Belmont branches quickly sold and are now leased, he said.
The former Miamisburg branch has become the new home of the Miamisburg Historical Society.
The former Trotwood branch has been purchased by Robinson’s Janitorial & Floor Care Services.
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