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By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

ALABASTER – The city of Alabaster provided a glimpse at its upcoming new library during a Virtual Town Hall on Monday, June 1.

Construction on a new library for the city of Alabaster is set to begin this summer near the intersection of Highway 119 and Thompson Road at the site of the old Thompson Intermediate School. The project for a new recreation center, library and a retail development was approved by the Alabaster City Council to Clements Dean Building Company in the amount of $43,676,000.

“Over the past few years, we’ve had a lot going on in our community, and it’s been super exciting to see the growth, to see the improvements across our community,” Alabaster Mayor Scott Brakefield said. “And one of the big things that we’re looking forward to in the next couple years is a new rec center and a new library.”

The new Alabaster library will be nearly three times the space of the Albert L. Scott Library, providing space for greatly expanded collections and increased room for library programming and community events. The library will be located next to the new recreation center which is designed to include multiple indoor courts, event and meeting space, an indoor walking track, a workout and fitness area and an outdoor pool and splash pad.

The Albert L. Scott Library is comprised of 7,200 square feet for programming and was built in 1983 to serve 8-10,000 residents. The new Alabaster library will feature 19,000 square feet to serve the city’s current population of 35-36,000 citizens.

“Moving into a new space that’s going to be nearly triple the size that we currently have is going to open a lot of opportunities, not only for our library, but for our citizens,” Library Director Kim Roberts said.

Nearly 1/3 of that new space will be dedicated to a new children’s area with a row of booth seating, soft seating, a play area, a program room and an outside garden area for kids to play in. The library will also expand its offerings for local teenagers with a teen library section. There will be a teen space featuring a game console as well as a creation zone for teens to create crafts and work on their passions.

A new outdoor patio will be located next to the entrance of the library for programming and meeting space and an outdoor area will run alongside the righthand side of the library providing a covered area for meeting and for programs.

Past the main circulation area at the center of the library will be a collection of study rooms and conference rooms that citizens will be able to rent out as well as a quiet study area. Additionally, there will be a new maker room and separate computer lab for residents to work on various projects.

“You can build a design that you’re wanting to create and then walk right into the maker space and build that design on our 3D printers or on our laser cutter,” Roberts said.

With all of the space the new library offers, staff will not only be able to expand its literary offerings but its programs as well.

“Our library is being utilized for meeting space, study space but also half of what we do is programming and that programming allows us to reach out to people’s lives and improve their life,” Roberts said. “We are there to enrich the community and help them find their passion and follow it.”

Work on the site of the recreation center and library started in January with the first phase of demolition on the old Thompson Intermediate School facility. Phase two of the demolition will begin later in 2025 after the Alabaster City Schools Central Office moves out of the remaining half of the building and into its new facility on the grounds of Thompson High School.