The heart and brain of the community: Colbern library branch serves the public

After a year of construction, the Colbern Road branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library is back in business. The project involved tearing down the existing structure and building a new one more than twice its size.

Although it’s been open to the public since the end of May, the branch will have its official ribbon-cutting ceremony at 8:30 a.m. June 11.

The old branch’s popularity led to the new building.

“The two existing branches we had here (in Lee’s Summit) were doing the majority of our library business and material checkout across all of the 32 branches. The space of those two branches, compared to the traffic they were getting, wasn’t a great ratio — three to four customers per square foot,” said Seth Moses, branch manager.

When library personnel looked at the cost of refurbishing or adding on to the old building, they found it was more cost effective to start fresh.

Planning for the project took about a year, followed by another year to build it.

“This is another thing that floored me — how quickly it came together,” Moses said.

He credits a 2016 voter-approved library tax increase in the areas of Clay, Platte and Jackson counties that the Mid-Continent Public Library serves for providing support for the $9.7 million project.

“Without public support and the passage of that, none of this would have really happened,” he said.

One of the most distinctive design elements of the library is its hanging paper airplane sculptures. Kids can follow a trail of them from the front of the library back to the children’s section. The theme pops up in several other places throughout the building.

Adults may appreciate the new on-site coffee shop, operated by local caffeine purveyor Post Coffee Company.

Other practical improvements include a larger meeting room space and study rooms, as well as a walled-off children’s area that allows for story-time performances where the sound won’t carry all over the building.

“These days, some people come in and want to have a quiet space to read. Some people want story-time be loud and silly. It’s good to be able to accommodate both types of customer in the same space,” Moses said.

“The most impactful thing we have here is a community event space that can accommodate 240 people. Our previous building wasn’t even big enough to have 240 people at the same time.”

The meeting room will be available for groups across the community to use.

Having such a large space will also allow the library to host events that can draw a few hundred attendees, like a performance from Jim Cosgrove, known as Mr. Stinky Feet.

This new building is also playing home to the library system’s Square One Small Business Services, which provides resources to local businesses and entrepreneurs on everything from securing funding to learning to promote their establishments.

“I really like that the atmosphere in here is all designed intentionally to be a collaborative space for the community,” Moses said.

“For me, the public library is the brain of the community. It’s about the people in the community coming together to work with their neighbors.”

He hopes the new building will encourage more people in Lee’s Summit to visit and use the library’s resources.

“I think that the one thing I would like people to know about us is we’re here to help with a lot of different things. It’s not just a place for readers; it’s a place for people to come if they need help, whether it’s finding a book or finding work,” Moses said.

Lee’s Summit resident Kelley Fantasma visited the library on Wednesday with her four children.

“It’s so great to have it back. The children’s area is so amazing,” she said.

Fantasma said her husband has been coming to the library to work since his office is closed.

The library’s new study spaces are ideal for Lee’s Summit resident Tara Sisk, who is studying for a graduate degree.

“It’s giant, and there’s so much space and light. It’s so comfortable,” she said.