The Heights Libraries Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that it has approved the Library’s purchase of the Noble Road Presbyterian Church building and surrounding 1.3 acres of property. The church is located next to the Noble Neighborhood branch of Heights Libraries at 2780 Kirkwood Road in Cleveland Heights.
The library board voted on the purchase on March 15 at its regular meeting, and the Noble Road Presbyterian Church board approved the sale at its own board meeting on Monday, March 22.
The $315,000 property purchase will allow Heights Libraries to expand the Noble branch building to broaden the services it offers to the surrounding community. The Library has already budgeted funds for the work, and will not need to assess any extra taxes or bonds to renovate the branch.
“We have noticed over the past 10 years that the building feels more crowded than ever and the needs of the community have changed and grown,” said Heights Libraries Director Nancy Levin. “And this perception of ours is backed up by a recent community survey about the building.”
In January and February, Heights Libraries surveyed the community about the building and its services, asking residents to weigh in about their likes and dislikes, and what they think could be improved. The survey, available both online and on paper, received nearly 500 responses, with roughly 72 percent of respondents indicating the building needs more room.
In addition, the Library is meeting with the public, via Zoom, to present the survey results and gather residents’ concerns and suggestions about the branch. One meeting already took place, on March 8, and another is scheduled for Wednesday, April 7, at 7 p.m. Registration is available at heightslibrary.org.
After compiling and assessing the community feedback from the Zoom meetings and surveys, the Library plans to do a visioning and pre-architectural study, tentatively planned to start in April 2021, and completed in a few months. It will then give the community a chance to offer feedback on possible renovation plans, both online and via a display in the Noble branch, most likely in the summer or early fall.
“We are very excited that our beloved building will continue to be a space for the community to learn, live, and grow together,” said Meredith White, pastor of Noble Road Presbyterian Church. “We have partnered with our neighbors, both the school and the library, throughout the years and believe the sale of our property marks a new phase in that relationship. We will continue to be a congregation and are exploring what it means for us to be a church in the world without a building. We are honored to have been a part of the Noble Neighborhood and we look forward to seeing what the future has in store for all of us.”
“We want to make sure the community has a voice in the planning process at every phase, “ said Levin. “We continue to be dedicated to serving the Noble community and look forward to providing the best library possible.”
The Library will add regular updates about the Noble Neighborhood Branch Renovation project to its website, heightslibrary.org, as the information becomes available.
