Jackson District Library buys senior center, plans to move Spring Arbor branch
The goal is to open the branch sometime in 2023.
JACKSON, Mich. (WILX) - Monday Jackson District Library (JDL) officials announced they had bought the former Spring Arbor Senior Center from Spring Arbor Township last week and plan to move the current library branch to the site.
Library officials closed on the property Wednesday, March 23, and paid $400,000 for the parcel, which will allow for more material and more meeting spaces, JDL officials said.
“We’ve always appreciated our relationship with the township and the Spring Arbor community as a whole, and we’re excited to bring the area the library services it deserves,” JDL Director Sara Tackett said.
The goal is to open the branch sometime in 2023.
The library’s Spring Arbor Branch is currently on the south side of the township maintenance garage on East Main Street. The former senior center is at 122 Star Road in Spring Arbor, within walking distance of the library’s current location.
The current branch is 1,845 square feet while the new building is roughly 5,000 square feet.
“The Spring Arbor Branch of JDL is one that has always had a higher material circulation and more foot traffic than the current space can easily accommodate,” Tackett said. “We’ve looked for options to expand at this location for years, and we’re excited that the first step to a bigger, better Spring Arbor Branch has been taken.”
Jackson District Library officials plan to renovate other branches throughout the county over the next couple of years, a project that has been growing for a few years. That includes the expansion of the Brooklyn Branch in 2020 and the introduction a new bookmobile in 2021, among other initiatives.
“We’re always looking for ways to improve access for Jackson County residents,” Tackett said. “Whether that’s refreshing spaces or bringing back the bookmobile to improve material access or increasing internet access, that’s our number one goal.”
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