HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 0690INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 23-0690
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council May 2, 2023
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SUBJECT: DOWNTOWN LIBRARY UPDATE
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The purpose of this Informal Report is to lay out the plan for closing the Central Library located at 500 W
3rd Street. On December 13, 2022, City Council approved the sale of the Central Library building to Dart
Industries for $18 million. Dart Industries plans to demolish the existing building and redevelop the site.
The sale agreement allows the city to occupy the building for one year after acquisition to provide for the
relocation of all materials and staff to new locations. In addition to the Library department, the building
houses the City Cable division and the offices of the Fort Worth Public Library Foundation.
Some of the materials in the collection at Central Library will be spread out amongst other branches in the
system. The back -office library staff, book storage and distribution functions will relocate to the new
Service Center located in at 8604 Camp Bowie West Blvd as approved by M&C 22-1057. Discarded books
and other material will be given to a local charity, furniture will go to a variety of locations, City owned
artwork will go to various City locations including Future City Hall, and the Bumpersaurus art piece will be
moved to the new Vivian J. Lincoln Library that is set to open Saturday, July 8. Property Management
continues to explore spaces in the downtown for a library presence and the size of the new location will
determine the programs and services offered. The new downtown library will not be housed in the new
Dart Industries development.
The Library began drawing down operations in anticipation of closure this summer. The timeline is:
Tuesday January 31
• Start of reduced hours
o Tuesdays -Saturdays 10am-6pm
Saturday April 1
Last day public meeting rooms can be used
Saturday May 6
• Last day of public programming (some storytimes will continue)
Last day of passport operations
Last day of school field trips
Friday June 30
• Final day open to the public
Those interested in the fundraising bricks should fill out this form: http://fwpl.info/bricks.
Interested community members may stay updated by visiting the Central Library sale information site at
https://fwpl.info/downtown.
If you have any questions on this report, please contact Marilyn Marvin, Interim Director, Fort Worth Public
Library, at marilyn.marvin(a�fortworthtexas.gov.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER
FORT WORTH, TEXAS