On Wednesday, November 2nd, Madison dignitaries gathered to break ground for the new Madison  library building.

In attendance were several members of the City Council, including Mayor Troy Trulock and Representatives Tommy Overcash and Ronica Ondocsin. The Madison Friends of the Library organization was represented by their president Dave Butler and secretary Shandi Burrows. The librarians from the Madison Branch attended, most notably manager Sarah Sledge, Huntsville-Madison County Public Library executive director Laurel Best, and Institutional Advancement director Susan Markham.

Over 50 members of the public attended the event, turning Plaza Boulevard into an impromptu parking lot.

The new building will be located at 142 Plaza Blvd, just two lots east of its current location. It will be two-thirds again as large as the current building and have many more amenities.

“We’re very excited about the new technologies that will be available for both teens and tweens, as well as increased play area for the community’s children.” says LeAnna Whitaker, the Madison teen librarian.

Shandi Burrows, the secretary of Friends of the Library, is similarly enthused. “I think the new library will be a great opportunity to showcase all the wonderful things we do there. The added space will provide much needed room for amazing programs and the new layout will make browsing books easier and more enjoyable for the patrons.”

The library has contracted the Ohio-based company Holzheimer Bolek Meehan Architects and the local company Fuqua and Associates to design and build the new building.

Funding is currently on track for the project, but the public’s help would still be nice. For more information, or to donate, click here.