Vernon Township Public Library in Fortville is considering a move to a new location, yet undetermined where. Will be either in Fortville or McCordsville.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
MCCORDSVILLE — The possibilities and plans for Vernon Township Public Library were discussed Thursday night at a second meeting for the public to be able to weigh in on the conversation.
The newly named library, formerly known as Fortville-Vernon Township Public Library, sits on the corner of Madison Street and Broadway Street, where there is little to no room for expansion.
The 8,000 square foot library has a fire capacity of less than 50 people, and has to resort to having their programs and events either outside or at a different location. There are also no meeting rooms or study rooms.
“We get asked daily for those private rooms for people to do different things,” librarian Katie Noonan said.
And with nothing available, Noonan has to suggest other options, such as Pendlenton and Greenfield for example.
“There’s nothing in this area. It’s a need,” she said.
Because of the need to expand to keep up with the growing population and number of books, Melissa Loiselle, director of the library since 2021, met with krM Architecture to come up with the idea of two different designs for a newer, bigger library. One idea is located in Fortsville and the other in McCordsville.
These were the two locations introduced to the public. However, neither one of the new locations is guaranteed unless a bond is issued and approved by the McCordsville Town Council and Hancock County Council.
Despite the unknown, Loiselle and Noonan held the plan meetings so the public could weigh in and express their thoughts and opinions. Two meetings were held — the first May 31 in Fortville, and the second June 7 in McCordsville.
Winifred Williams, an architect from krM, presented both layouts, which are subject to change based on needs.
The site plan for McCordsville is currently 4.1 acres off Broadway Street with a total of 18,000 square feet planned. Of that total, 11,000 square feet would be the new library in phase one with 7,000 square feet for future expansion in phase two. In this plan, the library would be one of many buildings in the area, with restaurants and shops also being built if approved.
Fortville’s new library site plan is currently located to the west of Vernon Township’s fire station, and is a 2.5 acre site. That plan has the library at 14,000 square feet in phase one, with also 4,000 square feet for meetings and use for the board of trustees.
Each site plan has a minimum amount of 60 parking spots and room to add on more if necessary. Right now, the current library only has 19 spots.
Both sites also come with plans for greenery with easy access.
Williams said a difference between the two sites is that the trustees would allow the library to be in Fortville on their land for no fee, versus purchasing land from developers in McCordsville.
After the presentation, the community grouped together at the tables to discuss positives and concerns they had with both locations.
Almost all people agreed on the walkability for both locations.
The Fortville site plan raised a concern about being so close to the fire station and causing traffic congestion; however, there is a light system set to where traffic lights will react in the case of an emergency so fire trucks can get to where they need.
One person raised concerns about the McCordsville location being too congested, and that if other buildings are to develop around it, they may lose parking to customers from other businesses.
Despite the back and forth on positives and concerns, one community member spoke up, saying that they wanted to emphasize that they didn’t view this as a battle between the two towns, but an opportunity to do what is best for the entire township.
Loiselle said the next step is both towns meeting with the library board to discuss potential grant opportunities or other financial support that may be available.
“Those numbers would potentially impact the size of the building that we could build,” Loiselle said. “So then these site plans are preliminary.”
Once site plans are updated, Loiselle said they will be shared with the public and possibly do more community meetings to keep everyone up to date.
