The following is an archived video story. The text content of that video story is available below for reference. The original video has been deleted and is no longer available.

Consultants Recommend Round Rock Build New Library


A new library in Round Rock could cost taxpayers $39 million. This after the City of Round Rock paid a consulting firm $97,000 to find out what library users need.

Indu Nair and her family moved to Round Rock this week and this is their first time in the Round Rock library. "We've been really impressed with the library so far because it has a large selection of books," she says.

Indu says it's a place she plans to visit frequently with her 4-year old son. "It's the first place we take our kids to read, to get them acquainted with books and for me personally I love reading so I want to pass that on to my children," she says.

But a recent study done by the Waters Consulting Group shows Round Rock's library is bursting at the seams. The firm recommends Rock Rock build a new library that's three times the size of the current facility.

"They're recommending a build out of 113,000 square feet and they are basing that on a population of about 175,000 people, our current library is 43,000 square feet so it would be triple the size," says Laurie Hadley, Round Rock's assistant city manager.

That's just one of the options being proposed, but at $39 million it's a pricey one.

Taxpayers like Robert Whitehead, who lives in Round Rock with his wife and children, says it's a bit extreme. "With the roads and parks and our dwindling schools, I think the money can be used somewhere else besides the library," he says.

Other options include building additional branches. While the final decision won't be made in the immediate future, one thing is for sure, all the options cost money.

By Lydia Pantazes