TOOELE -- Even the mayor admits it is like going from a bread-and-water diet to a big piece of rich and gooey mud pie.
It's a sweet, sweet change, indeed.On Wednesday, Tooele residents will celebrate the opening of a $2.3 million library that replaces one built in 1910.
Library patrons will see the space they were used to occupying increase from 4,000 square feet to nearly 20,000 square feet.
All that will be centered around an atrium that enhances environments designed for storytelling, studying, computer work and community meetings.
"It's an exciting time for the city," Mayor Charlie Roberts said.
The new library replaces a structure two blocks to the east that was built in 1910 with a Carnegie Foundation grant of about $5,000, Roberts said.
Over the years, as new acquisitions of titles have come in, Roberts said library officials have been forced to weed out old titles due to space.
That constraint is now a thing of the past, with Roberts estimating the new library will be operating at a 60 percent capacity and plenty of room to grow.
The move, which forced the closure of the old library for three weeks, will allow the new facility to double its circulation. In addition, there will be eight Internet stations for patrons to conduct research, Roberts said.
The sweetest part about the new library is the funding. Roberts said the city was able to sell off some industrial land, receiving $15 million and investing the money.
Both the library and new city hall are being paid for via interest off the principal and from a portion of a franchise tax increase enacted several years ago.
Roberts said plans are under consideration to turn the old library into a historical meeting place for community groups.
You can reach Amy Joi Bryson by e-mail at amyjoi@desnews.com