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Grand Prairie to add illuminated entrance and mural as main library stays open during renovation
Summary
Grand Prairie is renovating its main library with a taller, lighted entrance and in-house mural; the building will remain open using a temporary entrance. The project is expected to be completed by May.
Grand Prairie is renovating its main library to add a taller, illuminated entrance and an in-house mural while keeping the building open using a temporary entrance, city library staff said.
A library staff member said, “Grand Prairie's main library is getting a face lift. The city's oldest, largest, and most centrally located public main entrance that will make it much more inviting and identifiable inside and out.”
The project will install a new entrance that staff said will be taller and include the word “Library” lighted on the side to improve visibility from nearby roadways, including Highway 161 and Carrier Drive. “There will be a new entrance here. It will be taller. It'll have the word library lighted on the side. If you're on 161 or you're coming up Carrier going north, that you'll be able to see and identify the building. Those are our biggest challenges,” a library employee described.
Library staff said the building will remain open during construction. Patrons will be asked to use a temporary entrance at the opposite end of the building to preserve access to the library’s resources and services. “And unlike 8 years ago when the library had to close for several months during the last major renovation, it remains open while the work is underway with customers being asked to use a temporary entrance at the other end of the building, allowing for the usual access to all the library's resources and services,” the library staff member said.
A library employee recounted that staff put up a temporary wall at the front entrance and that one employee who is an artist volunteered to paint a mural on that wall while the renovation is in progress. “So we had a temporary wall put up to block off the front entrance, which is this blank wall of sheetrock. And one of our employees, who's an artist, said, would you mind if I painted a mural up there? We're like, you know it's gonna come down. Right? And he said, no. I don't care. I just wanna do it. And it worked out great. It's just absolutely spectacular,” the employee said.
Staff said the mural and additional art will help preview the renovated entry and make the library more recognizable. “There'll be more art when you first come in. The new entryway will be much more recognizable and inviting. The adventure starts right when you walk in the door. You know, the Grand Prairie Libraries serve everyone, and we want everyone to feel welcome and everyone to be excited to come in, and that's what this project will do,” a library employee said.
The renovation is expected to be completed by May, staff said.
No votes, motions, or funding amounts were discussed in the transcript; the renovation’s funding sources and contract details were not specified.
