- November 15, 2024
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Public library users in the southern part of the county — who make up about a third of the library system's 57,000 registered borrowers — have long had to either make the trek to Palm Coast for a full-service library or make do with the smaller branch location near the intersection of State Road 100 and U.S. 1 in Bunnell.
That may change: The county is now considering possible locations to relocate and enlarge the Bunnell branch to potentially four times the size of the current one.
"It’s something that’s definitely needed for this community," Flagler County Public Library Director Holly Albanese said. "It’s long overdue, and I’m just really looking forward to being part of the whole process."
The hope, Albanese said, is a branch facility that has the same services as the main location: a children's section, a research desk, meeting rooms and more.
The county is looking at four potential spots and very tentatively considering a few more, according to county officials. The list is preliminary and could change before it goes before the County Commission for consideration.
"We’re looking at now trying to go from 10 sites and we’re going probably come to you with three or four alternatives, but before we present those, we are trying to tie down various options on some of those so that you don’t select a site and the price doubles because you like that as your favorite site," County Administrator Craig Coffey told commissioners at a Jan. 11 County Commission meeting.
Four locations that are now under consideration, Albanese said, are a parcel off Commerce Parkway near the Flagler County Government Services Building and Emergency Operations Center; one on the south side of State Road 100 just east of the Flagler County Airport; one on the south side of State Road 100 between Old Kings Road and Colbert Lane; and one on Bulldog Parkway across from Flagler Palm Coast High School.
Locations like that along the State Road 100 corridor, Albanese said, would be much more accessible than the Palm Coast branch for the roughly 21,000 registered library borrowers who would be served by the library's southern branch location.
The county is looking for a facility that would be about 15,000-22,000 square feet, Albanese said. The main Flagler County Public Library location in Palm Coast is about 28,200 square feet, according to Flagler County Property Appraiser's Office records, and the current Bunnell branch is about 4,900 square feet.
