Event kicks off construction of library in southwest Fort Worth

Published on March 28, 2022

Work has begun on a new Fort Worth Public Library located in far southwest Fort Worth, an area experiencing tremendous population growth.

Officials were on hand Saturday, March 26, for a ceremonial groundbreaking for the project. The new library will encompass 18,000 square foot and include a large meeting room, study rooms, a creative lab and a quiet room. The site is located on the southeast corner of McCart Avenue and West Risinger Road.

“This is such an exciting day. We have a brand-new library coming to southwest Fort Worth,” said District 6 City Councilman Jared Williams. “I’m super-excited about this particular corner. Just a stone’s throw away, I grew up right here in Meadow Creek. And to know there are so many other kids like me who have the opportunity not just to go to a library, but to have a library within walking distance.”

Williams said his mother was a third-grade teacher in Crowley ISD. He acknowledged several Crowley ISD officials who were in attendance at the groundbreaking, including Superintendent Dr. Michael McFarland.

He said he knows how important city services are in strengthening neighborhoods. Williams said he hopes the library will serve as a gathering place, maybe even festivals and farmers’ markets.

Construction is beginning, he said, but community members will be asked in the future to help choose a name for the new building.

Acting Library Director Marilyn Marvin acknowledged representatives from HKS Architects, which designed the library, and Muckleroy & Falls, the construction company that will build it.

“You the citizens voted on the 2018 Bond to have this library,” Marvin told those in attendance. “This will be the furthest south library we have, in an area that hasn’t had a library in … forever.”

Manya Shorr, acting Assistant City Manager, echoed Marvin’s comments about the fast-growing portion of the city.

“You know as well as I do that this is an area that has needed a library for a long time,” she said. “Your closest library is the teeny-tiny Wedgwood Branch, which is nowhere near here.”

After 15-18 months, the new building is expected to be ready for service. “Come back,” Shorr said. “We’ll be cutting the ribbon on this beautiful library.”