Second public workshop on the way for Longboat public library

On March 18, Longboat Key residents will have another opportunity to provide input on Sarasota County’s Town Center Green public library project. 

The workshop will take place at 1:30 p.m. at Town Hall. According to a media release from Assistant to the Town Manager Susan Phillips, the county will be presenting information based on input received at the previous hearing and results from their Engage Survey. 

This survey will be open until March 18 for anyone who wants to share their thoughts prior to the workshop. 

The project is entering the last steps of the Conceptual Design Development in which the county and design team are gathering input about the desires of the community. After the March 18 workshop, the architects, Borrelli + Partners, Inc., will take the ideas and create a more refined design. 

With the project’s current timeline, the library could open around late 2026, according to Sarasota County’s Director of Libraries and Historical Resources Renee Di Pilato.

The first public workshop, held on Feb. 12, commanded a crowd of almost 100 people. After a presentation giving a brief overview of the history and scope of the project, the meeting was split into two breakout sessions to focus on the two main components of the project. 

First is the public library component, which will be funded and operated by Sarasota County. 

“The idea is to take this space and create something that will really meet the community’s arts and cultural needs,” Tipton said at the Feb. 12 meeting. 

The library is planned to be built on the Town Center Green on the southeast parcel. As of the last meeting, the county’s plans were to construct an 8,000 square feet base library. 

“In your library, you can expect to have a collection of a broad array of materials, a variety of educational programs for lifelong learning, meeting and gathering spaces, public technology and offerings for all ages,” Di Pilato said at the Feb. 12 meeting. 

But there’s also an opportunity for an addition to the space. An extension would not be funded by the county, but rather would require a private fundraising effort. 

Ideas presented by residents at the previous meeting focused on more meeting space for community groups, utilizing outdoor space and technology enhancements beyond the base library equipment.