New Clark Pleasant library branch will be on U.S. 31

Library officials said Tuesday they have secured a plot of land to build a new $8.8 million library branch.

The new Clark Pleasant branch of the Johnson County Public Library will be off U.S. 31 in Whiteland, said Lisa Lintner, director of the Johnson County Public Library.

The branch, which has been years in the making, will replace the current Clark Pleasant branch on Tracy Road in New Whiteland. It will sit on 6.62 acres of land, which the library paid $662,000 for. The cap for the project is $8.8 million, including $1.4 million of money the library has in savings and $7.4 million from a controversial property tax increase of 2.5 cents for every $100 of assessed value, which is set to take effect next year.

The property tax hike will cost the owner of a $250,000 home about $32.56 more in property taxes each year over the course of eight years, and impacts those who live and do business in Johnson County, except those in Edinburgh and Greenwood, both of which have separate library systems.

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Any additional money that is needed, such as for a section of the library dedicated to science, technology, engineering and math, commonly known as STEM, or public art outside the library, will be raised through private fundraisers rather than an additional tax hike, Lintner said.

The property sits between Brier Hill Drive and Clearwater Boulevard in Whiteland, about 1.5 miles from the current branch. It is bordered by U.S. 31 to the west and Nightingale Drive to the East. The footprint of the new one-story library branch will not cover the entire 6.62 acres, which includes a retention pond, and will leave room for the library to expand in the future to accommodate the population growth that’s expected in the area, she said.

The new branch is expected to be between 16,500 and 20,000 square feet, depending on construction costs, significantly bigger than the current branch, which is about 10,000 square feet. With the extra space, the library will be able to accommodate community programs that were previously limited due to crowding issues at the current branch, Lintner said.

The new branch will also include a dedicated space for teenagers, an early childhood learning area, an expanded children’s book collection and quiet spaces for adult reading, all of which are lacking in the current branch, she said.

Along with securing the land, the library has hired Fishers-based Meyer Najem Construction as its constructor, meaning it will oversee construction work, but also has the flexibility to take on certain parts of the project itself. Meyer Najem will earn either 2% of construction costs or a pre-negotiated amount, which has not yet been determined, Lintner said.

The library will hold two virtual public meetings on May 26, one at 2 p.m. and another at 7 p.m., during which library patrons can view design possibilities and offer comments and feedback.

The final design will likely be chosen in the fall, and in January, the library will consider bids, which will help determine project costs. If that timeline holds, construction crews will break ground next spring and the new library branch will be up and running by March of 2022.

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Who: Johnson County Public Library

What: Virtual meetings to discuss potential designs for the new Clark-Pleasant branch

When: 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. May 26

Where: Online

How: Register at pageafterpage.org/events

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