The name “Drakeford Library Complex” was approved in a vote by the Orange County Board of Commissioners at a meeting Thursday night. The Carrboro Town Council had voted in favor of the name on Oct. 15.

In a release sharing the news from Thursday’s meeting, the county and town government said a grand opening of the Drakeford Library Complex is scheduled for February 2025. The specific date will be announced and publicized throughout the community closer to that time. The site had been named as an early voting location in October, but construction was not completed in time for the voting period.

A naming committee — which included members of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, Carrboro Town Council, and Friends of the Library — earlier this year developed a community engagement process to decide on a name for the building. Based on a survey that received over 200 responses, the committee voted to recommend this name for the building on Sept. 24.

The Drakeford Library Complex will house the Orange County Southern Branch Library, as well as providing a permanent home for the Orange County Skills Development Center, WCOM Radio, and the Carrboro Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Resources Department. The project will cost about $42 million in total.

Rendering of the new Drakeford Library Complex, scheduled to open in February 2025. (Photo courtesy of the Town of Carrboro)

The name honors Robert Drakeford, who served as mayor of Carrboro from 1977 to 1983. He was the first Black mayor in the town’s history.

According to the resolution presented to the town council, Drakeford was a strong advocate for public transit and cycling during his tenure as mayor. In addition to playing a major role in the planning of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Bus System, he also presided over the hiring of the town’s first professional planner, which helped Carrboro become more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists. He encouraged entrepreneurship by establishing a loan program, created the Carrboro Community Park (later renamed the Hank Anderson Community Park), and established relationships and collaborations with other progressive Black mayors across the South. Prior to becoming mayor, he had served in the Army from 1966 to 1968, and was on the Carrboro Board of Aldermen (a precursor of the town council) from 1975 to 1977. Drakeford died in 2022.

 

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