University Heights Library Construction Delayed

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, OH-- Exterior work on a $5.6 million renovation for the University Heights Public Library has been delayed because the construction needs another building permit.

Sheryl Banks, marketing and community relations manager for the library, says exterior construction will begin next week, when the permit will be issued. Interior renovations are already underway.

The branch is expected to be closed for 14 months, re-opening in late 2017. The hard cost for this construction will be $4.2 million, according to the library’s website. An additional $1.4 million is being budgeted for “soft costs” such as furniture and fixtures, land and moving costs, permits, design fees, insurance, technology and other items.

The cost of the renovations will require no new funding from citizens and has already been budgeted by the library.

The renovations to the branch include designated areas for children and teens, additional parking, a back door entrance, an elevator and additional restrooms. The branch hasn't received major renovations since it opened in the 1950s and many of the updates will accommodate handicapped visitors.

The library has also released the final architectural drawings of the renovated branch, giving visitors a glimpse of what they can expect in the future.

The University Heights branch is the only library in the city and the second most trafficked branch in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights library system. According to library statistics, the University Heights branch has the highest items borrowed per visitor is the highest of all four of the system’s branches; meaning that University Heights residents use their library more than the other three branches. Regular visitors to the system’s other branches should expect an uptick in traffic during the course of construction.

The library was constructed in the 1950s and has not undergone a major innovation in more than six decades.

“Simply put, these renovations are long overdue,” Banks says.

University Heights residents who frequent the library will need to visit one of the system’s three other branches during construction, those sites are located at Coventry, Lee Road, and Noble. University Heights residents and library visitors can also visit a book mobile that will rotate throughout the community. A schedule for the mobile will be released shortly.

Photo courtesy of Heights Libraries