Library Board proposes smaller building for new Kingston Springs location

The Cheatham County Library Board of Trustees during its March 16 meeting agreed that a new library around 7,000 square feet would be sufficient enough to accommodate all South Cheatham residents as well as meet state standards. 

Spearheaded by Bob Perry, the chair of the board’s Building and Grounds Committee, the library board began the process to build a new library in Kingston Springs in 2024.

The proposed location – in the lot adjacent to Harpeth Middle School and behind the ambulance station on East Kingston Springs Road – was originally planned to be around 10,000 square feet and two stories.

During the board’s meeting Tuesday, Perry explained that the new building does not need to be more than 7,000 square feet – to accommodate each South Cheatham resident as well as the growth that is expected in the area in the coming years. 

Tennessee state standards require that libraries are half a square foot for every person in its service area. The current library’s log cabin is approximately 2,600 square feet.

Perry said he partnered with Austin Peay State University to pull census tract data from 2020, showing that the southern branch of the Cheatham County Public Library needs to be equipped to serve around 11,000 residents. Meaning, the new library must be at least 5,500 square feet, Perry said. The 7,000 number the board settled on accounts for future growth in the area. 

Perry emphasized that the new library will be a “LAT”: a center for library and literacy; arts and archives; and technology and teaching. He has previously told the Gazette that he wants the new building up “ASAP,” and hopes they are breaking ground by summer 2026.

During its January meeting, the board unanimously approved a resolution stating that it “supports the development of a comprehensive Literacy Initiative Program, including facility construction, equipment acquisition, and staffing support for the program.” 

Perry said during the Board’s January meeting that he met with potential “major” donors that “have the ability to make a seven figure donation” to the new library. These experts were the ones who recommended marketing the new library as a literacy initiative instead of a building project, Perry explained.

The new library will be funded with a combination of government funds – like taxes from the Towns of Pegram and Kingston Springs – donations and grants. Perry said they will not begin asking for donations until they have preliminary drawings of the building from the architect. 

Perry said the board is working with county architect, Rudy Johnson, to build the new Kingston Springs branch.

“Everything is a work in progress right now, but we're making progress,” Perry said. “We're not trying to do it fast as much as we're trying to do it right.”

The Cheatham County Library Board of Trustees will hold their next workshop meeting at the library’s Ashland City branch on April 15 at 3 p.m.