Apparently, Falcon residents are thirsty for information. Falcon will have its own library by 2009, according to the Pikes Peak Library District.”The Falcon area is growing so quickly,” said Beth Barrett, associate director for branch and outreach services for PPLD. “The bookmobile that goes to Falcon is very busy, so we know there is a huge demand for library services in the Falcon area.”According to a district press release, the library will be located south of the new D 49 high school, just off Highway 24. “We’re still negotiating on the land,” Barrett said, “We would like to make a decision at the board of trustees meeting this month. Then we can go out for a bid on the architect in July and start construction in early 2008.”Construction of the 4,000-square-foot library will be funded by a $531,540 grant from the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, matched by $364,597 from the library district, plus a federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality grant of $439,863, which also funds the purchase of a new bookmobile to replace the one to be parked in Falcon. The total available funding is $1.33 million.The first step toward providing permanent library services in Falcon is to park the old bookmobile in Falcon full time, Barrett said. “But that won’t happen until the district takes delivery of the new bookmobile in February or March of next year,” she said.Barrett said she expects construction to start in early 2008 and take about 18 months. “The building will be designed for future expansion,” she said. “We probably won’t be able to have meeting rooms at first, but we plan to design the building for flexibility, so that rooms can be reconfigured for one purpose or another. That’s what we did with the Briargate branch.”The new library is slated to open 32 hours a week, which includes some evening hours.Programs include story times, a summer reading program and programs for toddlers, Barrett said. “We’ll concentrate on stocking the library with popular materials for children and teens,” she added.The Pikes Peak Library District was created in 1962 when voters approved a regional library district. The district now has 12 branches concentrated in the western part of El Paso County. The Falcon branch will be the eastern-most branch.
