Soon residents of Platte City will see a new home for the local branch of the Mid-Continent Library, with over twice the space as the current site, wider aisles for patrons and the addition of a drive-thru window.
Mid-Continent Library, which has 30 branches across the metropolitan Kansas City area, will be constructing the most open floor plan of all at its new Platte City site.
The approximately 15,000 square foot building will offer a few new features that the other branches don’t have.
According to Steven Potter, business manager for Mid-Continent Library, the building will feature cast concrete opposed to brick/masonry, which previously has been used by the other buildings.
“We decided to use the cast concrete to compliment being next to the community center,” said Potter. “It will compliment the center nicely.”
The second differing feature is the openness of the new facility. The current ceiling height of the other buildings is between 9-14 feet; this new building will reach a maximum height of 24 feet tall in the center of the building.
While the building is going to be single story, because of the design of the center of the facility, it will appear as if the building is a story and a half.
Potter continued that another main difference between this facility and the others is the addition of a drive-thru window. The design includes a window where patrons can drop off books and pick-up books after calling ahead to have their selections pulled by the staff.
The $2-3 million project, which will sit on six acres of land, is currently in the preliminary stages of the project.
Potter stated the first major step in the project came last Tuesday night when the Platte City Board of Alderman approved the final plat for the library. The next step is to gain site plan approval from planning and zoning, as well as the board of aldermen.
Potter continued that once all the approvals have been given, they are hoping to see ground being broken before winter.
Once the library is completed and they are able to move in, Potter said Mid-Continent plans to put the current facility on Main Street next to city hall up for a sealed bid. The funds received from the liquidation will be put back into the reserved funds to construct future buildings.
The new library will operate under approximately 20 staff members. Hours for the library will be Monday and Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Potter stated that if activity warrants at the new site, the branch may extend hours until 9 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays.
“We’re very excited about this opportunity. We’re ready to break ground and get the ball rolling,” said Potter.
“We purchased the ground about a year ago and we’re not going to let the dust settle now. We’re ready to get the ball rolling, get the building up and get ready for the people of Platte City to use the facility as soon as we can.”