The nation?s first combination public library-science center would be built in Churchville, under a proposal by Harford County?s executive.
Nearly half of the $5.6 million, 33,000-square-foot facility would be devoted to exhibit space, County Executive David Craig said.
“The library will be more than just a library; it will be a complete learning center,” Craig said. “We can put exhibits in there that will be interesting to the children, even beyond the books.”
Craig joined Libraries Director Audra Caplan and state lawmakers at Churchville Elementary on Wednesday to announce the project, which would be built near the Churchville Rec Center on Glenville Road.
Caplan said the building would have some permanent exhibits through a partnership with the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore and Battelle Memorial Institute?s office in Aberdeen.
With Base Realignment and Closure expected to bring thousands of tech-related jobs, the exhibits would help children prepare for the labor force, Caplan said.
“With BRAC coming in, there?s a big push to build our work force by getting kids interested in science and learning,” Caplan said. “We at the libraries want to do our part.”
The building also would become the first library in Harford to apply for “green” certification, with planned improvements such as a grass-covered roof, Craig said.
County funding for the design and construction of the library is included in the proposed 2009 budget awaiting the County Council?s approval.
And council President Billy Boniface said the project has been planned for several years and likely would move forward.
Craig also gave Churchville Elementary $15,000 to replace 11-year-old playground equipment. That?s on top of $24,000 from county Parks and Rec and about $25,000 the Parent-Teacher Association hopes to raise.
The current playground equipment is not accessible for the handicapped, and the swing set had to be taken down recently when support poles began to come out of the ground, said PTA Vice President Trish Umbarger.
