LUCKEY – After more than 30 years in its current location downtown, the Luckey Branch Library will open its new doors Saturday during a grand opening celebration.

The branch is moving to the former Troy-Webster American Legion property, 335 Park Drive, which the Pemberville Public Library System purchased in December 2020.

At 10 a.m., there will be remarks from local dignitaries and elected officials, and a ribbon cutting. From 11 a.m-2 p.m., there will be maker space demonstrations, inflatables, light food and activities.

The Pemberville and Stony Ridge locations will be closed for the event.

“We’re very pleased with how things have turned out,” said Susan Titkemeier, who has been director of the Pemberville, Luckey and Stony Ridge libraries for six years.

She hopes the community comes celebrates the new, bigger site.

This new location will double the library’s square footage and allow it to offer more services, including a maker space.

The new building has been renovated to provide improved ADA accessible doors and restrooms and to include a large community room that can be rented out by the community. New electrical and plumbing also was installed, roof issues were fixed, and the floors were reinforced to hold the weight of the books.

Over $1 million has been spent in renovation costs, Titkemeier said.

“We’ve done a lot of investing in this building,” she said. “Just like any other renovations, something pops up.

“It’s a lot of money. Construction prices were higher than we thought. It is more money than we originally anticipated, but we’re happy with what we got,” Titkemeier said.

The building will last for many years, and it’s better to do it right the first time than have issues later, she said.

Community members will be able to hold meetings and social events in the community room after business hours, which has not been possible in the current building downtown.

The maker space will provide access to technology and equipment that people may wish to use for hobbies or academic projects. On-site technology includes a 3D printer, a laser engraver and cutter, a Circuit, sewing machines and a heat press. A new recording room will allow students and adults to record and edit audiovisual material for presentations, projects, podcasts, job interviews, and much more.

The new space nearly doubles the square footage to 4,200 from the 2,500 square feet that was available at the old library building, which was located at 228 Main St.

The new location also will provide great parking which isn’t available downtown. It is also right next to a park and playground, and the Luckey Garden Club has its community garden on the property.

The last day for the downtown library location was July 30 and the library was closed for the month of August to give staff time to pack, move, empty out the downtown location and organize the new building.

Titkemeier, who is a 2009 Eastwood High School graduate, has been with the library for 14 years. She started by shelving books.

She said earlier this year that she and the library board had been interested in finding a new space to expand and add a larger community room and maker space. When they learned the Troy-Webster American Legion Post 240 was interested in selling, they began negotiations.

The purchase price was $82,500.

Because the Luckey Branch Library is directly between the system’s other two locations in Pemberville and Stony Ridge, having the maker space and recording room in Luckey will make it easy and convenient for library users from all areas of the library’s service district to access these new services.

The library will open for business Monday.

Hours for the Luckey Branch Library are Mondays 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Tuesdays through Thursdays noon-8 p.m., Fridays noon-4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.