Highland Park residents will have multiple opportunities this summer to provide input into plans to possibly expand the Highland Park Public Library and create a community campus that includes a senior center and youth services.
The potential project would expand library space, improve parking and traffic flow and relocate the city’s Senior Center to a separate building adjoining the library.
According to the city, the youth services area of the library would be expanded to “appropriately meet the needs of students of all ages during the day with a focus on after school care.”
The city and library are inviting residents to provide input into programs and services, as well as use of the library now and in the future, during one of six open houses to be held at various times of day to accommodate residents’ schedules.
Morning sessions will be held at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 21 and Thursday, July 13. Afternoon sessions will take place at 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 11 and Thursday, Aug. 3. Two evening sessions have been scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 28 and Monday, July 17.
All sessions will be held in the conference room at Highland Park City Hall, 1707 St. Johns Ave., Highland Park.
In addition to the meetings, residents are encouraged to complete a survey that will be available July 1 through July 15 on the city’s website at www.cityhpil.com/libraryexpansion. All feedback will be compiled and presented to the city council in August during a committee of the whole meeting.
The city last fall acquired two single-family homes immediately east of the library on Laurel Avenue for a combined $1.5 million to allow for the expansion. More recently, the city hired Williams Architects of Itasca to conduct a Community Center Needs Assessment and Engineering Study related to the project.
The architects have said they also will consider expansion to the west or south, possibly both, in the analysis.
