What steps have been taken
At the Nov. 9, 2021 City Council meeting, the Anna Community Library Task Force was formed to represent the needs of the community and assist in defining the goals and objectives of the project. The task force will also provide communication between the community and the City Council and raise public awareness and interest in the library project.
In January 2022, the task force started "discovery tours" of libraries to see various amenities, recent renovations, layouts, technology, services and programs offered by regional cities. They'll tour additional facilities in the coming weeks, including in Austin and New Braunfels.
In February, public input meetings were offered to all neighbors to provide their ideas for the project.
From March to April, the City is gathered public input via an online survey.
In July, following the public input process, conceptual design of the facility began. Concept plans for the interior, exterior, and site were presented to the Task Force on Tuesday, July 19, and were well received. Those same plans were then presented to the City Council for discussion and feedback.
In September 2022, City Council approved BRW Architects as the architect of record for the exterior of the library. Teague, Nall, and Perkins was selected to do the landscape architecture around the library. The architecture firms have begun full design of the facility. We anticipate this will take approximately 12 months to complete (September 2023).
Latest Update - July 2023
As a prelude to the FY 23/24 Budget, the City Manager's Office presented the FY23-24 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) at the July 11, 2023, City Council meeting. The plan reports the key capital projects that will commence and/or be completed next fiscal year, including the completion of the Municipal Campus with the construction of the Anna Community Library and campus plaza.
The library construction documents are now 50% complete, and the project is on track with the project charter. Bidding for both the library and plaza projects is anticipated to take place in on the fall, with project awards expected by the end of this calendar year.
Funding for both projects will be identified in the FY23-24 Budget for City Council consideration and approval. The library will be funded solely from the 2021 bond funds for the project, with a not-to-exceed amount of $22,000,000. The Municipal Campus Plaza construction cost estimate is $3,500,000, and the Anna Community Development Corporation Board (ACDC) has agreed to provide $2,000,000 in funding for the construction of the plaza.
View the latest renderings from July 2023 (PDF).