See Details on the New Plainfield Library

When the current Plainfield Public Library opened in 1991, it was designed to serve 30,000. Today, there are 75,000 people in the library’s district.

In response to the increased amount of people, as well as keeping up with technology, the Plainfield Public Library is hoping to build a 21st century library.

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The proposed new library will be built just north of the current library, allowing it to stay open while the new one is built.

The new library will offer more room for books and other items online and on the shelf, computer classrooms to build job skills, meeting rooms for community organizations and library programs, technology labs, meeting and program space, teen areas to provide a safe environment and study spaces for ESL, adult literacy and group collaboration.

Meetings Dec. 3 and Dec. 16 will help finalize the plans in order to get it on the ballot in March. Assuming voters approve the referendum March 15, the plans will then go before the Village board for approval of the building’s design.

If everything is successful, the new library would break ground 12 months later, according to Plainfield Library Director Julie Milavec. The library would then open one to two years later.

“The target for the financing plan is to stay below a $15 per month increase for the average homeowner ($300,000 home) in Plainfield, for the whole package,” Milavec said in an email. “It will be two ballot questions - building bonds and operating funds.”

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that the Village’s approval is simply for the design of the building to ensure it doesn’t violate any codes or ordinances. The board cannot stop the project from moving forward if voters approve it.