Brooklyn in early talks about new public library branch; school district eyes existing

BROOKLYN, Ohio — Less than a decade after voters defeated a planned unit development zoning ballot issue tied to the creation of a city center concept, Brooklyn is now moving ahead with realizing a central gathering area for residents along Memphis Avenue.

The centerpiece is the proposed $18.9 million, 56,000-square-foot new police station and city hall. Construction is set to begin this summer on the southwest corner of the 14-acre property that already includes the John M. Coyne Recreation Center with a completion date in October 2022.

This will be followed by the demolition of the existing 60,000-square-foot city hall, police station and former fire department, which is being talked about as a new Cuyahoga County Public Library Brooklyn branch location.

Brooklyn Mayor Katie Gallagher said she’s had preliminary conversations with library officials about the plan.

“It seems like we’re all on the same page,” Gallagher said. “City council was also unanimously in agreement that we can have this agreement. They said this is high on their priority list.

“Obviously, the library can’t build anything until the existing city hall/police station is taken down and that won’t be until next fall.”

The mayor said the Cuyahoga County Public Library reached out to the city early on in its recent master plan effort.

“They said they were looking at opportunities in Brooklyn because their square footage was too small for how many people they were serving countywide at that particular site,” Gallagher said. “They even used a real estate broker to look around, but there are not a lot of opportunities in Brooklyn as far as land.

“I think people would agree that keeping the library in our community should be an utmost priority. It’s such a good asset to have here.”

Cuyahoga County Public Library Executive Director Tracy Strobel said the current Brooklyn branch is 16,490 square feet, but the layout and lack of flexible meeting room space limits the number and types of programs provided.

“We’re energized by preliminary conversations with the city of Brooklyn about the possibility of a new library branch,” Strobel said. “We recognize that Brooklyn residents would benefit from more technology training, GED classes and interactive STEAM programs for K-12 students — all of which are possible in a library building with more flexible meeting room space.”

The other compelling aspect of the library moving is Brooklyn City Schools potentially has interest in the existing branch, which is located on district land.

Gallagher said district officials have talked about using the old library to house administrative offices and the district’s digital academy.

“This is a very exciting time for the city,” Brooklyn City Schools Superintendent Theodore Caleris said. “At this point, we’re still in the planning stages of repurposing the building for both student and staff use once Cuyahoga County Public Library vacates the building.

“We’re hopeful that our new digital learning academy can grow. This would be an ideal location. This is another great opportunity to expand both district programming and staff development opportunities.”

As far as creating the aforementioned city center area, it appears that could be close to coming to fruition.

“This plays well as maintaining that kind of civic center experience,” Gallagher said. “It just makes sense. It’s all in one location, kind of like civic downtown and keeping all of the land in good use and for the betterment of the residents.”

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