If Wake County voters approve a $142M bond, this NC town could get its first library
Growing up in Rolesville, Barbara Timmons never knew what it was like to be able to walk to a neighborhood library.
If she wanted to check out a book or attend an event, she had to go to libraries in Wake Forest or North Raleigh, a 15- to 20-minute drive.
Not having a closer library has made it even harder for Timmons in her late 60s, with more construction and traffic in the growing area.
“I don’t like driving as much as I used to, so I go to the [library] online,” Timmons said. “When I pick out what I want, I’ll send it to the one in Wake Forest and I’ll run by and pick it up.”
Since its incorporation in 1837, Rolesville has been the only municipality in Wake County without a library. For years, residents in this town of now roughly 11,000 people have tried to bring one to the town. Their dream could become a reality if Wake County voters approve a bond referendum on the ballot this fall.
Voters are being asked to approve a $142 million bond to renovate, expand and add public libraries. More than a dozen libraries across the county would get upgrades, and Rolesville would have its own. The county has set aside $13.3 million for the facility.
Sometimes Timmons goes to the media center in Rolesville Baptist Church where there are computers and some popular books. A community library in her eastern Wake hometown would let her stay in town when she wants a book she can’t get there.
“This is something that’s way past due for our community,” she said. “We need this.”
A need for a growing community
Libraries have been safe havens in communities.
Students go there after school to do homework or fill out college applications. Parents bring small children to story hours. They help people apply for jobs and help unhoused people stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Before working full time, Rolesville resident Catherine Caraway was a stay-at-home mom taking her toddlers to the library every week.
“Those days were fun, but difficult with the drive,” she said. “If the library were closer, it would’ve been easier. … I’m just excited for the prospect of having physical books close by.”
Kali DePreaux-Jensen owns the hOMe Yoga Studio in Rolesville and operates the Winebrary, a small book club where women come together over wine and new library books recommended by librarians.
“With the economy the way that it is, it’s nice to go out and not have to worry about spending money,” DePreaux-Jensen said. “The library is one of the best places to do that.”
Tracy Dupler, a New Jersey native, had never lived in a town without a library before she moved to Rolesville. She remembers walking home from school and stopping at the library to meet friends and do homework, an experience she wanted her children to have.
“Moving here and not having some place to take my kids was a little disappointing when they were little,” Dupler said. “With the small-town feel and a sense of community, I was a bit taken aback that we didn’t have a library that was accessible.”
She would like to see a library in Rolesville cater to the area’s young families and longtime residents with volunteer opportunities and activities for seniors and older children.
“I was a latchkey kid, so sometimes going to the library to hang with other people was better than going to say, an empty house,” Dupler said.
Money limitations
Ashley Jacobs, the county’s deputy manager, said the proposed library upgrades were carefully considered.
Over 1.1 million people live in Wake County, and the population grows by about 51 people daily. Most residents lived within 20 minutes of one of the county’s 23 libraries last year. If the bond passes, 87% would live within 10 minutes of one.
“Every single project that we considered is a valuable project,” Jacobs said. “We just had limitations that we had to consider. The biggest limitation is money.”
The last bond for libraries was for $45 million in 2007 and passed with 70% approval.
The 2024 bond would cost $2.50 per $100,000 of assessed property value. A homeowner with a house valued at $462,000, the county’s median, would see an annual increase in their county tax bill of $11.50.
What’s in the bond?
If the bond passes, the Friendship neighborhood of Apex would also get a library, bringing the number in town to two. Several other libraries would be expanded like the Fuquay-Varina Regional Library and the Wendell Community Library, which is the smallest in the county.
The Athens Drive Community Library would also be replaced. It’s inside Athens Drive High School in Raleigh, which the school system plans to renovate, forcing out the library. Several Raleigh residents have spoken at City Council meetings to urge leaders to keep the library in the community. The county has not yet found a potential site.
The renovations for the following libraries could include new book displays, carpet, furniture, and HVAC upgrades.
Express Library on Fayetteville Street
Green Road Community Library
Leesville Community Library
Library Administration Building
Northeast Regional Library
Richard B. Harrison Community Library
Southeast Regional Library
Zebulon Community Library
The 13 libraries not included in the bond have had upgrades or were opened in the last seven years.
Early voting underway
Early voting runs until Nov. 2, with Election Day Nov. 5.
Rolesville resident Ashleigh Wagoner was one of those who voted early in hopes of seeing the library bond bring more programs for children.
“As a family, we always vote early and I have been sharing information about the bond as much as I can on social media,” Wagoner said. “It’s more than just our town; so many other towns are going to benefit if this bond passes.”
This story was originally published October 23, 2024 at 8:00 AM with the headline "If Wake County voters approve a $142M bond, this NC town could get its first library."