March 2014
The Greater Raleigh Court Civic League
www.grccl.org
Celebrating 35 Years of Service to Our Neighborhood
Planning Begins for Renovated Raleigh Court Library Raleigh Court will have a bigger, better library within the next 18 months. Dreams started becoming reality at the GRCCL’s January 9 meeting given over to a community briefing on what the new library could be. Roanoke City Libraries Director Sheila Umberger, City Engineer Charlie Anderson, and Peter Bolek of HBM, the Cleveland, Ohio, architectural firm hired to design the renovation and expansion of the Raleigh Court Branch Library, gave a glimpse at what modern libraries look like and how they function, then asked for feedback on what neighborhood library users want. Bolek showed examples of other libraries his firm has designed, including Roanoke County’s new South County branch as well as the Vinton branch and the Glenvar library. Based on audience responses, several themes emerged: • Light • Open spaces • Dedicated teen spaces • Community spaces • Collaborative work spaces
• A café • Meeting rooms A second input session on February 11 attracted a sizeable crowd of library users who had an opportunity to respond to a preliminary floor plan which showed a 5,000 square foot expansion taking the building to within 10 to 15 feet of Grandin Road and almost doubling the floor space. The drawings also showed a doubling of the existing parking lot, allowing for a total of 40 vehicles – all restricted to library patrons. After Bolek’s presentation of the preliminary plan, the audience divided into smaller groups to get a hands-on look at the drawings with an invitation to mark them up, critique them, and make suggestions for moving, adding, or eliminating elements. Some 50 Patrick Henry High School students participated in a similar exercise earlier in the day. Responses from both workshops will be considered and those that seem viable to the architects and staff will be incorporated into a second draft which will be unveiled at another feedback session at the library April 7 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Construction is set to begin this October, after the downtown library re-opens after its renovation, and take 10 to 12 months. The branch will be closed during that time. The current library was built in the 1960s and expanded in the 1980s. As one of the most heavily used branches in the city’s library system, it has become crowded and worse for wear, and parking has long been an issue.
City Council Candidate Forum March 13 The Greater Raleigh Court Civic League will sponsor a forum for Roanoke City Council candidates at its March 13 meeting at 7 p.m. in the fellowship hall of Christ Lutheran Church at Brandon and Grandin. WSLS newsman John Carlin will moderate, as he has in previous civic league-sponsored candidate fora. The public is invited to attend. As this newsletter went to press in mid-February, the following nine candidates had registered for the May 6 election to fill three city council seats. (continued on page 5)
Inside This Issue
President’s Message............................................................................................3 Kids Dig Veggies at School.................................................................................4 New Restaurant Opens......................................................................................6 Women-Owned Businesses.................................................................................8 New Book by GRC Author..............................................................................10
Meeting Reminder GRCCL City Council Candidate Forum March 13, 2014 | 7 p.m. Christ Lutheran Church