Safety Harbor library nears completion; ribbon cutting set for April 10, website refresh seeks public input

City staff updated the Safety Harbor City Commission on the library renovation on March 3, reporting that the project is in its final stages and key public events are scheduled.

Staff said the certificate of occupancy is expected in the third week of March, furniture delivery is planned for the week of March 24, and a ribbon cutting is scheduled for April 10 at 6 p.m., followed by a public tour at 6:30 p.m. The meeting-room space is 1,800 square feet; staff said the elevator testing and other inspections have been completed and final installations (paging, hearing loop and AED) remain.

The library's youth wing has a grand reopening date of March 20. Staff described finishing touches in the children's area: a reading-nook tree mural (completed mid-March), new seating, imaginative-play items, new rugs and window treatments. Staff said additional library improvements will continue through spring and will include a tree installation in the art park behind the library.

Separately, Communications Manager Rebecca Mason told the commission that the city will refresh its website as part of the contract cycle and is soliciting public feedback. "The survey will be available until March 31," Rebecca Mason said; the refresh process begins in April, will take six to eight months and is expected to roll out by the end of the year. Two public listening sessions will be held in Commission Chambers: March 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and March 20 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Staff also noted the Library Foundation is sponsoring a concert in the second-floor meeting room after the ribbon-cutting, and recounted historical context for the library site. No formal decisions were made at the meeting; staff will proceed with the schedule announced and return to the commission if budget or scope changes are needed.