Logan City to demolish Emporium and build new library

It looks like a new library is in the near future for Logan City. At Tuesday’s city council meeting, Logan Mayor Craig Petersen announced that Logan has entered into a purchase agreement to buy certain Main Street properties located between 100 North and Center Street, specifically the Plaza 45 and Emporium buildings and the building where Poco Loco is located.

Petersen said he is more excited about having a new city library than he has been about anything else that has happened since he took office.

He said the terms of the agreement provide that the transaction must be completed by May 8, 2016. The mayor said the intent is to demolish the existing Emporium building and use the site to build a combination new library and community center. He said the Emporium location is great but there is little foot traffic there because the many small rooms are not commercially viable.

Petersen said the city intends to develop the city-owned property on Main Street between 200 North and 300 North where the library is currently located. He said this is prime space that should be used for commercial activities to enliven downtown and strengthen the tax base. The mayor said the existing library building is not adequate to meet the future needs of the library patrons.

The new library would have more focus on electronic media as well as print-based materials. The new facility will also function as a community center by providing public meeting rooms and perhaps a small performance/lecture space.

Another possibility, Petersen told the council, is to convert a small portion of the parking area west of the Emporium into a small green space area with an amphitheater and a water feature to allow outdoor events.

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