A look at the library

CEDAR RAPIDS - A rendering of the facade of the city's new west-side library branch might not make you forget the building was once a Target store.

Even so, library Director Bob Pasicznyuk said Monday that the planned exterior changes will make clear what's being housed in part of the former retail store.

“It should scream that it's a public library, so we've tried to bring that to it with small changes to the exterior facade,” Pasicznyuk said.

The library will take up about 25 percent of the former store space at 3750 Williams Blvd. SW, and with renovation about to begin, officials are unveiling the design plans for the 21,080-square-foot facility.

The new site is across the street from Westdale Mall, where the west-side branch has been located for years. The facilities there were expanded to serve temporarily as the main library location after the former downtown building was damaged in the Floods of 2008.

Earlier this year, the library board cited lower cost and better accessibility in selecting the former store for the new permanent west-side branch. Unlike two other Westdale sites that were considered, the Target site provides exterior windows and a street presence and is not dependent on the mall's hours or long-term well-being.

Pasicznyuk said it should cost $156,650 to run the new branch for the first full fiscal year it's occupied. Housing similar services at Westdale would cost $215,000, he said, largely because the mall can't provide warehouse space and so the library would need to pay for it elsewhere.

The west-side branch is expected to open in December 2012 or just after the first of the year. The library also will maintain a presence in Westdale Mall until the new downtown facility opens in August 2013.

The new space is being leased from CR Real Estate Properties LLC. The branch will receive a discount on rent for its first six months of operation, Pasicznyuk said.