Library to lease space inside Hobart Center for technology center
The Miami County commissioners agreed Tuesday to lease space in the Hobart Center for County Government to the Troy-Miami County Public Library for a technology center and innovation space for public use.
The agreement is for 10 years, effective March 1, with the library leasing 8,533 square feet on the second floor of the Hobart Center at 510 W. Water St. The building is the former Hobart Brothers Co. headquarters and is located just to the west of the library’s Troy headquarters.
Specific plans for the library space are not complete but will also include library administrative offices, meeting rooms, a learning lab and a business center.
The library also plans to do renovation work at the main library building instead of moving forward with a previously announced new library fundraising project, said David Lindeman, library board president.
“The innovation space will allow community members to design, prototype and manufacture items using tools that would otherwise be inaccessible or unaffordable,” said Rachelle Via, library executive director. “For example, teachers, small business owners and nonprofits may not have a lot of extra money or resources, so equipment such as vinyl printers makes creating signs, banners, posters, stickers and decals easy and very affordable.”
The innovation space will be modeled after a “maker space” at Xenia Public Library and will include equipment such as 3D printers, a laser cutter, vinyl cutters/printers, CNC milling and routing machines, video editing and recording equipment, and a media conversion station, among other items.
The county Department of Development is talking with the library about ways the two organizations can make the innovation and technology features useful for the small business and entrepreneurial community.
A learning lab also is planned with about 15 computers offering specialized software and printers, along with a business center with copier, scanner, fax and other business tools. The learning lab will allow the library to offer classes on job searches, resumes and basic and advanced computer skills. The lab also will be available for public use when classes are not in session.
Under the lease, the library will pay $66,131, or $7.75 per square foot, for the first year. This includes utilities except telephone service and also janitorial services.
“This is truly a win-win for Miami County residents,” said Commissioner Ted Mercer. “This will help make the building more efficient for the county and help offset the county cost of operating the building,” he said.
“We really look forward to new horizons for that building, and for the library,” Lindeman told commissioners. Library representatives approached the commissioners in the fall about the possible lease.
“It is perfect. We don’t have to tear anything down, build anything or move anything,” Lindeman said. “It will be much more affordable for us, much more flexible for us. There is potential for future expansion there, too. It has everything we need in a great building.”
The library has the funds in hand to make needed changes in the Hobart Center space, Lindeman said.
There are also plans to make improvements to the current library, which was built in the 1970s, including its HVAC system and possible enhancements to specialty areas of the library.
The library had been discussing plans for a possible new library building on the grounds of the current library, but those plans have not moved forward.
The Miami County library project comes as the Dayton Metro Library in Montgomery County wraps up a construction project that included a new main library and branches across the county. Those projects were paid for using a $187 million bond issue approved by voters a decade ago.