Politics & Government

Milton Residents Think New Library Design Fits the Neighborhood

Traffic remains the biggest concern for the site at the intersection of Charlotte Drive and Mayfield Road at the old Dinsmore farm site.

Milton residents were generally pleased with the new library design that was revealed Thursday night. The new library is expected to open in Fall 2014, with construction starting later this year.

The community would get a library section, the central entrance and lobby that resembles a silo and a meeting room section. The design allows for use of the community meeting room even during hours the library is closed, as both sections are accessed through the lobby section and can be locked off separately

Architects were charged with saving three massive oak trees on the property. To do that, Todd Dolson of Stevens & Wilkinson, architects for the project, said they wrapped the building around the largest tree, and split the parking lot into two sections to leave the other trees untouched.

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With the parking lot in the back of the property, the design puts the entrance facing away from either Mayfield Road or Charlotte Drive. That keeps the walk to the front door shorter, but displeased at least one resident. Matt Mitchell, a resident of Waterside and an architect himself, said all of the businesses and homes in the neighborhood face the road and the library should, too.

Dolson said the topography of the property required the design. The library building was set back to keep it on one level. If the entrance was at street side of Mayfield Road, the 10 feet difference in height from front to back would have required a building of multiple levels.

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To take advantage of the building location, a large expanse of lawn on the front of the property is intended to be used by the library and the community as a special events space.

Shaun Virgo was one of the residents who questioned the choice of site because of the heavy traffic each day between 4 and 6:30 p.m. A resident of Charlotte Drive near the library site, he said motorists already will pull into driveways along Charlotte to turn around and head away from Mayfield Road because traffic is backing up for so long. He has spent 15 minutes waiting in traffic within sight of his driveway waiting to get home.

"It's a wonderful project, but is it going to be accessible? Are they going to sort out the traffic problems before we end up with a really nice looking library which is going to be difficult to get at," Virgo asked.

Timing of the construction of roundabout project planned for the Mayfield-Charlotte intersection also worried residents.

Dolson and library officials said the county is not involved in the city's traffic project plans, but they are working with Milton on driveway locations.

"Part of the decision to move the entrance off the primary road, Mayfield, to Charlotte was somewhat in response to known heavy traffic on Mayfield," he said.

Mayfield would have a right-in only entrance drive, which leads to a book drop off on the driver's side for convenience. Once past the book drop, motorists would enter the parking lot area, or turn left and head to the Charlotte Drive entrance and exit.

The library system will build sidewalks all along the property on Charlotte Drive and Mayfield Road. The Charlotte Drive sidewalk would not lead too far, but the Mayfield Road sidewalk would connect with a sidewalk reaching Birmingham Highway. That would allow it to connect to public schools – Crabapple Crossing Elementary, Northwestern Middle and Milton High schools.

Preserving the existing barns on the property was a concern of some of the residents. The newly formed Friends of the Milton Library has plans to save one of the buildings and keep it on site.

Bob Meyers of the Friends of the Milton Library said the group recently formed and is looking for members and donated gently used books. Those books will be sold to help fund projects for the group.

They plan to raise enough money to move the small barn on the property to a flat piece of land on the library site plan. It will be renovated, shored up and climate controlled to preserve the donated books.

Meyers said the goal is to raise $25,000 to disassemble the barn and move it the 50 feet or so where it will be erected.

"That's easier than trying to lift it and move it and set it down," he said.


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