New Crown Point Community Library expected to open in October

CROWN POINT | With opening day at the new library just months away, officials are gearing up for a move.

"The timing is going to be critical," Crown Point Community Library Director Lynn Frank said.

The $12 million structure being built downtown is expected to open in October.

The move of hundreds of books, periodicals and other materials, computers, shelving and furniture calls for logistical planning.

"What's hardest is the organization," Frank said. "Things have to done in the proper order."

The three-story, 46,750-square-foot new library at 122 N. Main St. will replace the smaller library on South Court Street.

The move will require the library to close for up to three weeks, Frank said.

The new library will house three community meeting rooms and separate areas for teens and children. The new building and will have nearly double the number of computers for Internet access as the existing library.

An Internet cafe will occupy some of the first floor.

Construction of the new building kicked off in June 2011, and work moved indoors in winter after the building exterior was completed.

The Skillman Corp., with offices in Merrillville, is construction manager of the project. Valparaiso-based Design Organization and Peoria, Ill.-based PSA Dewberry, which specializes in civic buildings, worked on the library's design.

The red brick building occupies space on North Main Street, with the main entrance facing south at the middle of the block. An outdoor garden area is planned near the entrance.

Plans are to sell the Carnegie Center, the library's original home at 223 S. Main St., and the Carnegie Center annex built in 1974 that houses the existing library.