Groundbreaking Held For New Bellview Library, The First In District 1

April 13, 2021

A ceremonial groundbreaking was held Monday for the a new library on Mobile Highway in Bellview, the first library Escambia County District 1.

Escambia County is adding 10,000 square feet to an existing 2,500 former bank at a cost of about $3.8 million. Construction is expected to take about a year.

“One of the things that I always wanted to see happen in District 1 was for us to have our own public library. We’re the only district of five that did not have one,” District 1 Commissions Jeff Bergosh said. “We’re taking a building that wasn’t being used and we’re now going to repurpose it for a good use. Instead of building brand new, we’re repurposing, so that is a good thing. The other thing I like about this property is that there’s plenty of space so once we’re all done building this brand-new library and putting the parking in and stormwater retention, there’s still room and some more things that we’re intending to do with this property. Hopefully and eventually, there will be more than just a library.”

The main portion of the library will consist of a large open space that is divided into areas such as a lobby, a story time area, a youth area and an adult reading area. This large open space will provide entrances to other support spaces such as multiple study rooms, staff rooms, a computer area and a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) room.

The actual building is where our community room is, so the public can use it after hours. It is also where our programming events will be for youth and our meal service in the summers. It will be a multi-purpose room the public can use when it’s not being used for library programs. The actual library is going to be designed as flexible space. The majority of the books will be stored along the walls, and we will have some center shelves that are on rollers. If we have a big event inside and we need more space, we will be able to just push the shelves to the side of the room and open up the room. So, in reality, we will have the ability to do three separate large events at the same time,” Todd Humber, director library services, said.

The new library will also include an exterior lawn area with the ability to project movies onto the building for events.

“Providing local access to books for parents, grandparents and caregivers encourages our children to become lifelong learners,” District 1 School Board member Kevin Adams said. “I am glad this library will provide a quiet, safe place that can be used to read, study or complete homework assignments and have reliable internet access. Within a short distance of this library are six schools with approximately 3,997 K-12 students. Overall, District 1 has 11 schools currently serving approximately 7,307 K-12 students. This new library will provide access to students through evenings, weekends, holidays and summer breaks.”

A sidewalk will be built that provides a direct connection between the new library and Bellview Elementary providing accessibility for children to enjoy after school programs.

Students from nearby Belleview Elementary School helped with the groundbreaking.

Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

3 Responses to “Groundbreaking Held For New Bellview Library, The First In District 1”

  1. Johnny and Marlene M. on April 14th, 2021 5:11 pm

    We may not have waited 50 years for it, but we are pretty excited as well!! Looking forward to being there to take advantage of the resources and see how beautiful it develops also.

  2. William Lingo on April 13th, 2021 9:51 pm

    I’m very excited about this library coming to Bellview, I’ve been waiting 50 yrs for this happen, it’s about time!!!

  3. Well on April 13th, 2021 8:05 pm

    Looks like nobody is interested.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News