Town of Parker and Douglas County Libraries Partner to Bring New Library to Parker
On Tuesday, April 30, officials from the Town of Parker and Douglas County Libraries announced their intent to partner on a proposed new Parker Library. Both organizations are excited to work together to respond to the ever-growing library needs of our community and meet the high demand for innovative library spaces and services.
“The Town is pleased to be able to partner with Douglas County Libraries to bring this important community amenity to fruition,” said Town of Parker Mayor Mike Waid. “With the Parker Library’s 530,000 visitors each year and annual circulation of 1.4 million, the Parker community has clearly demonstrated the priority they place on the library and the services it offers.”
Construction of the Parker Library will be funded by Douglas County Libraries’ existing fund reserves, along with an active fundraising campaign. As part of this important partnership, the Town of Parker intends to set aside the land necessary for the new library, located at the northwest corner of Mainstreet and Pine Drive.
“The Parker Town Council reflects the strong interest of its citizens,” said Jamie LaRue, Director of the Douglas County Libraries. “They clamor for more books, more technology, more programs and more library parking. Town leaders listened to our plans for a new library in Parker and our 3-5 year timeline, and said, ‘We think we can make this happen faster. Our citizens want it and it’s a perfect fit for our plans for downtown.’ We’re thrilled to be part of a new creative district and can’t wait to work with our new partners.”
Douglas County Libraries is committed to providing opportunities for community input and support and will be kicking off a public involvement campaign this summer. Residents will be provided with many different opportunities to provide feedback, which will be taken into consideration in the design of the new library space.
The community input phase for the new Parker Library will take place throughout the summer. The design phase is to begin this fall, with a groundbreaking in late summer 2014.
For more information, please visit www.douglascountylibraries.org.