Construction starts on library’s $8.8M Clark Pleasant branch

L-R Four-year-old Lauren McCarthy, 6-year-old Cara McCarthy and 8-year-old Madison McCarthy participate in a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday for the new Clark Pleasant branch of the Johnson County Public Library in Whiteland.  Scott Roberson | Daily Journal
L-R Four-year-old Lauren McCarthy, 6-year-old Cara McCarthy and 8-year-old Madison McCarthy participate in a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday for the new Clark Pleasant branch of the Johnson County Public Library in Whiteland. Scott Roberson | Daily Journal

Children shoveled dirt from the ground Tuesday morning, marking the ceremonial start of construction on a new 17,200-square-foot library branch in Whiteland.

Construction had actually already started on the new Clark Pleasant branch of the Johnson County Public Library, which was years in the making. Plans are to open the new branch and move early next year, officials said Tuesday.

The $8.8 million library will sit between Brier Hill Drive and Clearwater Boulevard just east of U.S. 31, about 1.5 miles from the current branch on Tracy Road in New Whiteland.

The groundbreaking was largely ceremonial, as construction crews arrived March 8 to set up fences and move some dirt to get the ground ready for digging a foundation, said Lisa Lintner, director of the Johnson County Public Library.

The current branch, a former 10,000-square-foot office space, did not provide enough space to fit many of the features the new Clark Pleasant branch will have.

The new branch will become home to the Adult Learning Center, which will move from the Library Services Center in downtown Franklin. The new branch will also include study rooms, a robotics maker space, a dedicated area for teenagers and an Early Childhood Learning Center.

New Whiteland and Whiteland residents will soon have a brand new, more spacious library to call their own, said Davin Kolderup, Clark Pleasant library branch manager, on Tuesday.

“I came to Clark Pleasant almost 15 years ago,” Kolderup said. “I see the patrons I served the first week I was working because they made the library a part of their life, and now we’re seeing new generations of families. What we didn’t have until now was a world-class facility.”

But the project was not without its detractors.

About $1.4 million for the project comes from the library’s savings, while the other $7.4 million comes from a controversial property tax increase of 2.5 cents for every $100 of assessed value approved by the Johnson County Council in 2019. For a $250,000 home, the extra taxes amount to an estimated $32.56 annually.

In January, new county council members Ron Deer and Melinda Griesemer called for a revote on the project, despite it being more than a year old. They argued the council’s original vote should have included a majority of the entire seven-member council, rather than a majority of the five members who were present during the meeting. The council decided against the revote, however, as the original vote was legal, and the project was well into its design phase.

Some residents have also spoken out, questioning the validity of the vote and need for the library.

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2016: Planning for a new Clark Pleasant library branch begins.

Jan. 2019: The Johnson County Public Library holds its first public meetings to discuss the new library branch.

Dec. 2019: The Johnson County Council votes 3-2 to approve a property tax hike for the new Clark Pleasant branch. Two members of the council are not present for the vote.

May 2020: Library officials reveal the location of the new library branch, just east of U.S. 31 between Brier Hill Drive and Clearwater Boulevard in Whiteland.

Nov. 2020: Library officials unveil final design plans from Cleveland-based HBM Architects. The design includes a 17,200-square-foot-branch, to include the Adult Learning Center, three study rooms, a robotics maker space, a dedicated area for teenagers and an Early Childhood Learning Center.

Dec. 2020: Members of the Johnson County Council call for a revote, claiming that the council needed to have a majority of its seven members vote in favor of the library project, rather than a majority of the five who were present. The calls for a revote are denied.

March 8: Construction crews arrive at the site of the future library branch.

Tuesday: Ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony.

Early 2022: Expected opening of the new branch.

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