New library proposed

Residents in northern Columbia are in line for a new landmark that promises to inform, educate and entertain the whole community.

In a draft of its five-year master plan, Daniel Boone Regional Library outlines plans to build a new library in northern Columbia. The exact location, budget and size of the library are still to be determined, with future consultations and public input expected.

“We don’t have a specific timescale,” said Melissa Carr, director of the Daniel Boone Regional Library. “We will keep looking until we find something convenient to the most number of people possible.”

The plan to build a new library in northern Columbia is based on population projections from the Missouri Office of Administration and figures supplied in a city housing market analysis last year.

The analysis projects that central Columbia will decrease in population, while the north and south Columbia metropolitan areas will grow. The population is predicted to increase in northwest Columbia by 170 percent by the year 2030, with a 72 percent increase expected in northeast Columbia.

Daniel Boone Regional Library officials say the location of the new branch should prove more convenient for residents in Rocheport, Harrisburg, Hallsville and Sturgeon.

Implementation of the master plan is still in its infancy, but library officials are confident it gives them a good foundation.

“The plan enables us to begin looking at land opportunities when they arise in northern Columbia,” Carr said. “It puts us in a position to act swiftly if we find a piece of land that matches up to what we’re after.”

The master plan also proposes building a new library in southern Boone County to replace the existing building that is leased. This project is already under way, with 1.5 acres purchased in September for $64,450.

“We have purchased an adequate amount of land to carry out our expansion,” said Kris Farris, a public relations adviser for Daniel Boone Regional Library. “We have already hired an architectural firm to begin with the initial design phase.”

The previous master plan in 1999 led to construction of the new Columbia Public Library and the purchase of a larger, improved bookmobile.

The timetable on both projects is still unclear, but the library plans to complete the new Southern Boone County Library before work begins on a new branch in northern Columbia.

The master plan also could lead to the purchase of a new bookmobile to replace the older of the two buses, which has operated since 1986. The bookmobiles serve eight of the smaller communities in Boone County. Library officials said a new branch in northern Columbia will not affect the bookmobile service to Harrisburg, Hallsville and Sturgeon.