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Library plans show future of downtown Bonita Springs

Thaddeus Mast
thaddeus.mast@naplesnews.com; 239-263-4764
The library in downtown Bonita Springs is expected to have 100 parking spaces on site, according to early plans.

The spacious downtown Bonita Springs library is designed for relaxed reading and community gatherings, according to plans shared with the public Tuesday.

The library will be built on a 2-acre site between Reynolds and Childers streets, not far from Old 41 Road and the center of the city’s downtown.

“This has been in the works for a year and a half,” said Terri Crawford, deputy director of the Lee County Library System.

It replaces a 12,000 square foot library on Pine Avenue, which is near the public middle school and the city’s recreation center. The current library was built in 1976 and renovated in the 1990s.

Bonita Springs, which incorporated in late 1999, has been asking for a new library for years.

“It was originally a contest between a new library in North Fort Myers and (one in) Bonita Springs,” said Lee Commissioner Larry Kiker, who represents Bonita Springs on the county board. “We decided to just bite the bullet and do them both for $25 million a pop.”

In 2013, Lee County commissioners raised the county’s public library tax almost 6 percent to cover a budget shortfall and create a 10-year fund for the two new library facilities.

As of Tuesday, the Bonita Springs library design and architecture plans are about 30 percent complete, which gives the public opportunity to provide a voice, according to Lee officials.

“There’s still time for people to ask questions and provide input,” Crawford said. “It’s going to be fantastic. They’re going to have so much more than they have now.”

The library’s meeting space is expected to total 16,500 square feet, which can hold up to 150 people in a large forum area, said Kevin Williams, principal architect with BSSW Architects.

The two-story library has been years in the making. it will sit just off of Old 41 Road, placing it in the heart of the city's downtown.

It is larger than the old space available in the former Bonita Springs Community Hall, which once stood on the site and has been demolished.

A separator can split that space into two smaller rooms, Williams said.

A few other small rooms holding about 10 people each are also included in the plans, but some members of the public who reviewed plans on Tuesday said that is lacking.

The Friends of the Library organization will have its own space built into the facility.

A reception area, a large meeting room and the children’s reading areas are planned for the first floor.

The children and juvenile area will have shelves for appropriate books, smaller tables and a few computers that provide easy adult supervision.

A Lego table and tablet area for games are also in the children’s portion of the library, according to early plans.

The majority of the book collection resides on the second floor, accessible from a stairway or two elevators near the main entrances, plans show.

The shelves will be two-thirds full at opening, allowing the collection to grow, according to library officials

Quick-use computers also are planned near the main entrance.

More computers and tables also would be found upstairs. A teen area would have separate tables and a gaming area, plans show.

Two outdoor balconies round out the second floor, which would allow library visitors to read outside.

Though the main entrance has a roof, plans include a separate, covered book drop off area that would allow people to return their books while avoiding inclement weather.

Outside, the Bonita Springs library would feature a plaza.

Plans for a new library expected in downtown Bonita Springs show indoor and outdoor community meeting spaces.

“The large space could be used for events or other leisure reading,” Williams said.

Doors from the meeting spaces will open directly into the plaza, according to early plans.

More than 100 parking spots are expected to be available at the library site.

But the library’s architecture was the subject of some criticism.

Former City Councilor Martha Simons said the building’s exterior didn’t quite fit in with the rest of downtown Bonita Springs.

“Our downtown overlay, we specifically say we want the Old Florida feel,” Simons said. “Taxpayers are putting in $22 million, and we want to get it right and really fit us.”

The library should stick to the basics, too, said Paul Van Valkenburg, a city resident.

“This has been a long time coming,” he said. “I just hope they increase their (book) collection.”
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