Library Trustees Hire Faniro for New West Side Branch

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County’s board of trustees hired Ronald Cornell Faniro Architects to design its new West Side branch.

The library trustees accepted the recommendation of its building and sites committee to hire the Youngstown architectural firm for the project. The new West Side branch will be named the Michael Kusalaba Branch, in recognition of the $1.68 million donation made by the Kusalaba Fund of the Youngstown Foundation.

The library and the foundation announced the donation and the branch naming in October. The Kusalaba Branch will be constructed at 2815 Mahoning Ave., the current site of the West Side branch. Trustees also authorized the library’s fiscal officer to place and open bids for the demolition and site preparation of the existing West Library branch and for the building and sites committee to award the contract.

The board also authorized the building and sites committee to review qualifications-based architect or consultant proposals for the site selection phase and facility programming schematic phase for a new branch to replace the existing Brownlee Woods, Campbell and Struthers branch libraries and to award the contract. A consolidation of these branches has been a part of three strategic plans since 2004.

This week, the library opened its new Canfield Branch.

Trustees also approved a general fund budget of $17,334,631 for 2016, as well as a building and repair fund budget of $3,716,300, and a technology fund budget of $456,690. In addition, they approved a $17.3 million general fund budget for 2016, a $3.7 million building and repair fund budget and a $456,690 technology fund budget.

Pictured: Jan Strasfeld presents the ceremonial check from the Youngstown Foundation to David Ritchie, chairman of the library board of directors, and Heidi Daniel, library executive director, last fall.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.