FREDERICK, Md. – Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner outlined three possible options for opening a Frederick County Public Library branch to serve residents who live along the Route 40/Golden Mile corridor and in the Ballenger Creek area. She provided an update on the project following a new offer from the City of Frederick of land on the former Hargett Farm property, where the City plans to develop a Westside Regional Park.
“We know there is great interest in locating a library on the west end of the City of Frederick,” Executive Gardner said. “I appreciate the City’s willingness to consider new solutions, and I look forward to hearing feedback from the people who would be served by the new branch library.”
In a letter to Mayor Michael O’Connor and the Board of Aldermen, Executive Gardner expresses a preference for one of several locations on the Hargett Farm site offered by the City. The letter includes a draft Memorandum of Understanding outlining details and responsibilities. Executive Gardner outlines three possible scenarios, as follows:
Option A: Finalize an engineering study on constructing a 15,000-square-foot library on the preferred site in the Westside Regional Park. With financial assistance from the City, the library would be constructed on an accelerated timeline, allowing the branch to be built in Fiscal Year 2025.
Option B: Finalize an engineering study on constructing a 15,000-square-foot library on the site in the Westside Regional Park. Construction would be delayed until Fiscal Year 2028 or later. To serve the community before the branch library is constructed, a smaller, temporary satellite library would operate in the County-owned Prospect Center on Himes Avenue.
Option C: Renovate a 15,000-square-foot portion of the Prospect Center at Himes Avenue for a permanent branch library. Construction would begin in Fiscal Year 2025.
A community meeting will be held to discuss the options and to gather feedback before a final decision is made. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 16, at Hillcrest Elementary School, 1285 Hillcrest Drive in Frederick. The meeting will be recorded and posted on www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/FCGtv for later viewing.
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