After nearly 21 months of advocacy; more than 11,000 petition signatures; 25,000 bookmarks;  500 business flyers; and miles and miles spent canvassing, we are finally getting a library in Lake Nona!

On June 9, 2022 the Orange County Library System (OCLS) Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve the lease with the City of Orlando for the new Lake Nona area library on Dowden Road. On July 18, the Orlando City Council followed suit and approved the library lease agreement with the OCLS.

According to library staff, a grand opening could be expected in about two and a half years — late 2024 or early 2025. Now that the lease has been approved, the design process has begun. This process could take about 12 to 18 months and then construction is expected to last an additional 12 to 16 months.

Our new library will be located alongside the City’s forthcoming Southeast Government Center on a five-acre parcel on Dowden Road just west of Narcoossee Road and east of the Orlando International Airport. The 20,000 sq. ft. library will be operated by about 20 employees and will feature an outdoor space and stage. Next door, the 15,000 sq. ft. government center is expected to include meeting space, a permitting office, an office for the Commissioner, and a 4,300 sq. ft. Orlando Police Department substation. 

At the June meeting the OCLS also voted to approve a ground lease for another new library that will be built in the Horizon West Regional Park. Both of our communities have been advocating for branches in our neighborhoods, but budget constraints and lack of suitable parcels presented major obstacles.

In July 2021, the City and Orange County worked together to design a synergistic proposal that would enable the library system to build both libraries in a similar time frame. The OCLS Trustees voted to pursue collaborating with the City and County, and staff at each entity have been working diligently over the last 12 months to hammer out the details.

The City of Orlando will design and construct our Lake Nona Branch and will lease it to the OCLS upon its completion. The library system will have the option to purchase the building at a later date. This lease is a major accomplishment for our Lake Nona area community. One of the things that is most remarkable about this effort is that it has been years in the making.

When we first began educating ourselves on the process for getting a library in our community, we discovered that the OCLS had expressed interest in the Narcoossee Corridor for at least 16 years or more – the earliest reference we found in the library board meeting minutes was in September 2006. Over time we have learned about previous site locations that were proposed, considered, but were ultimately deemed unsuitable for the library system. 

The library administration took time to meet with us and explained how the library saves money for new branches and goes about analyzing the need and determining locations for new ones. 

We learned that the library leadership had been looking at our community and at Horizon West for the last several years and that while they had identified a branch site in that community, they hadn’t for ours. At certain points, we were unsure if we would even still be living in the area by the time a library would realistically come to Lake Nona.

But our community continued. We recognized the challenges, but did not give up. As a global pandemic raged on and kept so many apart, we united.We got organized. We formalized a committee, and created a petition to quantify the support of a library in our area. We made calls, sent emails, and posted on social media. 

Our small business community threw its strength behind us. In fact, Nonahood News graciously ran a first article about our effort way back in December 2020. A local graphic artist, Bret Thomas, designed beautiful bookmarks and flyers to help us get the word out. Local real estate experts Kevin and Yvette Kendrick covered the cost of printing thousands of materials for us and residents from all over the Lake Nona area volunteered their time passing out bookmarks within their subdivisions, at their schools and churches, and in their favorite businesses. 

Many neighbors rearranged their work and childcare schedules to attend weeknight library board meetings and conquered their fear of public speaking to make public comments in support of a library in our community. We dug in and did the work. We decided to take up space and make our voice heard.

And it worked. We had meetings with our City of Orlando District 1 Commissioner Jim Gray and Orange County District 4 Commissioner Maribel Gomez Cordero and other elected officials and stakeholders. Thanks to their leadership, the City and County came together to create a feasible, affordable opportunity that will allow the OCLS to deliver two new libraries in Lake Nona and Horizon West.

At a time when it was easy to feel like we had no control of things happening in our world, we rallied around something positive. Because a library isn’t just about books. It’s about community. Libraries serve as places to gather. They are one of the only spaces left where it’s not expected or required that you buy something – you can just be. They are places that provide opportunities for people to change their lives – whether it means making a new friend, learning a new skill, preparing for a new job, and so much more.

None of this would have been possible with the support of Commissioner Gray, Commissioner Cordero, the OCLS Board of Trustees, the OCLS administration including former executive director Mary Anne Hodel, interim director Steve Powell, and chief branch officer Bethany Stone; the real estate departments at the City and County; and every single Lake Nona area resident and business owner who signed a petition, passed out a bookmark, displayed a flyer, attended a meeting or otherwise supported this effort. A very special thank you goes out to the present and past members of our library committee: Lucy Redzeposki, our Vice Chair; Cecilia Gonzalez, Christopher Hertel, Tom Keen, Phelycia Marsh, Ishu Martinez, Marta Northcutt, and Eileen Winterble.

Our library is a triumph for everyone who calls the Lake Nona area home. We united, we made our voice heard, and now we will have a brand new public library where we can continue to connect, learn, and grow.