Escambia County Breaks Ground for the Bellview Library

Escambia County held a groundbreaking ceremony today for the new Bellview Library located at 6425 Mobile Highway in Pensacola at 1 p.m. The 12,500 square foot building is expected to be completed Spring 2022.

Escambia County is adding on to a prior bank facility, which was 2,500 square feet and 10,000 square feet will be an addition. The architect for this project is STOA Architects. Hewes and Company is the contractor. The construction cost is expected to be $3.8M for this project.

Speakers included Vice Chairman and District 1 County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh, Escambia County Administrator Janice Gilley, West Florida Public Libraries Director Todd Humble, Escambia County School Board Member Kevin Adams and Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons.

Vice Chairman and District 1 County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh said, "One of the things that I always wanted to see happen in District 1 was for us to have our own public library. We're the only district of five that did not have one. There are a lot of folks who worked hard to make sure we had the funding available and the resources in order to bring this all to fruition. I want to take a minute to thank the Library Board of Governance Division. One of the things I like about taking this four-acre property and doing what we're doing with it is we're taking a building that wasn't being used and we're now going to repurpose it for a good use. Instead of building brand new, we're repurposing, so that is a good thing. The other thing I like about this property is that there's plenty of space so once we're all done building this brand-new library and putting the parking in and stormwater retention, there's still room and some more things that we're intending to do with this property. Hopefully and eventually, there will be more than just a library.  I want to thank STOA Architects who have put together really a fantastic design for this library. A year from now, we will see the vision, and it's going be an amazing day for Escambia County, for the students and the citizens of District 1."

The main portion of the library will consist of a large open space that is divided into areas such as a lobby, a story time area, a youth area and an adult reading area. This large open space will provide entrances to other support spaces such as multiple study rooms, staff rooms, a PC area and a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) room. The development of the building’s façade was inspired by origami, the art of folding paper, which is why there are angles throughout the building.

Todd Humble, director of library services said, "I think most of you know about 80% of what we perceive in life comes from our vision, and from that vision, we then interpret what it is we're looking at and how we're seeing it. Now, when you think of colors, the ones you see in nature most often are greens and blues. These colors are calming to people. You will see a lot of greens and blues in this facility when it is done. The actual building is where our community room is, so the public can use it after hours. It is also where our programming events will be for youth and our meal service in the summers. It will be a multi-purpose room the public can use when it's not being used for library programs. The actual library is going to be designed as flexible space. The majority of the books will be stored along the walls, and we will have some center shelves that are on rollers. If we have a big event inside and we need more space, we will be able to just push the shelves to the side of the room and open up the room. So, in reality, we will have the ability to do three separate large events at the same time. We'll have the adult section that starts from the middle library going towards the parking lot, the youth section, starting at the middle and going towards Bellview elementary and then also the community room itself. The Friends of West Florida Public Library have been around for quite a while and have helped support us with materials. They will have a space in the library as well where you'll be able to get good condition used books or ones that are new that have been donated to them. Most funds are put back into the library to support our summer reading and other programs. Overall, the goal of this library is to make sure you have a place that encourages growth, entertainment, education and new experiences. With COVID-19, we have not been having our programs, but that will come to an end eventually. By the time we open this library, we plan to re-establish our leadership in the county and the state of Florida, and by leadership, I mean being the fifth in the state for family programming. We do plan to be back at that point by next year."

The new library will also include an exterior lawn area with the ability to project movies onto the building for events.

District 1 School Board Member Kevin Adams said, "It is an honor and privilege to attend the opening of this new library for District 1. We know that public libraries are important cornerstones for strong communities and guarantee equal access to knowledge. This new library will provide resources and services that will create additional opportunities for learning, increase literacy and education for our students. Studies have shown that reading books to very young children indeed contribute to a favorable home literacy environment and supports children's language development. Providing local access to books for parents, grandparents and caregivers encourages our children to become lifelong learners. I am glad this library will provide a quiet, safe place that can be used to read, study or complete homework assignments and have reliable internet access. Within a short distance of this library are six schools with approximately 3,997 K-12 students. Overall, District 1 has 11 schools currently serving approximately 7,307 K-12 students. This new library will provide access to students through evenings, weekends, holidays and summer breaks. The Superintendent and the school board congratulate Commissioner Bergosh for providing this valuable resource for our students and the community. Thank you."

Most of the old oak trees on the south side of the property will be preserved. This south side will also serve as the location for a future park and playground so the large oak trees will be able to provide natural shade. A sidewalk will be built that provides a direct connection between the new library and Bellview Elementary providing accessibility for children to enjoy after school programs.

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