After decades of work, the 203 South Greensboro Project finally broke ground Thursday afternoon. The $41 million project between the Town of Carrboro and the Orange County government plans to house the southern branch of the Orange County library and other municipal programming.
Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils spoke at the groundbreaking following a dance performance to begin the program.
“I get to welcome everyone here today for this what is a historic day for Carrboro,” Seils said. “Today we’re celebrating the groundbreaking a new civic building a project that is possible, because of the close partnership between the town of Carrboro and Orange County.”
Carrboro Mayor @damonseils: “I want to welcome everyone to this historic day in Carrboro. Today we celebrate the groundbreaking of a new civic building – a project made possible because of a close partnership between the Town of Carrboro and Orange County.” pic.twitter.com/OjSzF7AElX
— Ava Pukatch (@apukatch) May 5, 2022
In addition to the library, the new three-story building will house Carrboro Recreation, Parks and Cultural Resources programs and office space, the Orange County Skills Development Center, WCOM radio and the first space planned for teens in Carrboro.
Nerys Levy, who represented the Friends of the Southern Branch Library the groundbreaking, has been working to bring a library to Carrboro for three decades.
“It’s about overdue,” Levy said. “We will be able to say for the first time after this library is built, that Carrboro is now no longer the largest town in North Carolina without a freestanding library.”
Levy said libraries in the South were not seen as important during reconstruction after the Civil War.
“We’re still catching up and making right from wrong and actually providing libraries, which are the base for democracy in the United States, offering equal access to everybody, irrespective of race, creed, or orientation,” Levy said.
Chair of the Orange County Board of Commissioners Renée Price said the groundbreaking felt like a time to exhale.
“It’s just wonderful because people have been working on this and dreaming about it and planning it for over three decades,” Price said. “It’s about time. We’re calling it a celebration, in addition to the groundbreaking, because it’s going to mean so much to so many people. Libraries just open the doors to so many new adventures for people.”
Price said she envisions the project as a hub of activity.
“The 203 Project, with a southern branch library, the skills development center and more, will become a community oasis that nourishes the mind, body and soul,” Price said. “It will be a space for safe people gathering and conversation, a forum for programs that explore various cultures and traditions, and a place for reading books and literature that transport us to times and places far away.”
The 203 South Greensboro site plans to be connected to existing pedestrian, bicyclist and transit service. Seils said the site will be accessible by three Chapel Hill Transit bus lines – two of which operate seven days a week.
The nearly 50,000 square foot facility is designed with energy efficiency and waste reduction features which result in a LEED Gold equivalency. Additionally, the project received a Duke Energy building efficiency incentive.
— Ava Pukatch (@apukatch) May 5, 2022
The parking deck is planned for 171 parking spaces – including five electric vehicle charging spots. Seventy bike parking spots are also planned.
Town staff said construction is scheduled to begin in June and last about 19 months.
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Thank you Nerys Levy for your unwavering support. What a beautiful legacy.