The Bexley Public Library has begun construction on the front entrance to fix landscaping issues and to designate the west side as an Outdoor Reading Room.
Renovations consist of installing a wider wheelchair ramp, outdoor seating and a water feature, Director of Advancement and Community Relations Paige Bilotta said.
Bilotta explained the renovations will fix safety issues such as crumbling steps, overgrown greenery, uneven concrete and water damage. The wider ramp will improve stroller and wheelchair accessibility, she added.
An Outdoor Reading Room is also being built where the library will host events such as poetry readings and children’s storytime, she said. It will include a small stage, string lights, seating and a water feature, she explained.
“The landscape itself is going to be flexible so that people can use it in a way that most benefits them,” she said.
Library Director Ben Heckman explained a temporary entrance is available at the library’s rear loading dock with a ramp extending into the alley between the library and parking lot. The alley will be closed for the duration of construction, he said.
He said construction is expected to last four to six months.
Heckman said the new landscaping will be reminiscent of the library’s layout from the 1950s.
It included a porch for reading, which inspired the Outdoor Reading Room, he explained.
“I feel like what’s old is new again,” he said. “Going back to what we used to have would be really cool and visionary.”
Heckman said construction will also improve upon previous developments. In the 1980s, outdoor walls were built with cement, he said.
“Now they’ll be shorter and they’ll have limestone capping,” he said. “So when you see it from the street, it looks like it blends along.”
The front entrance’s landing will be widened, Heckman said. When the library hosts events, they will be able to use it as a stage for performances, he added.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for an outdoor space grew, Bilotta said. The library’s Fun Fridays, socially-distanced outdoor events hosted in 2020, and the 2023 Year of the Parks project both inspired the Outdoor Reading Room, she said.
The park area adjacent to Torat Emet Synagogue is funded through the city’s Year of the Parks budget, and the accessibility and safety improvements at the library entrance are funded through the library’s building maintenance fund, according to the library website.
Heckman said additional funding came from donations. Each month, a newsletter is sent to library patrons requesting donations, which are then put into an annual fund, he explained.
Bilotta said because the project has been in the works for a number of years, financing has not been a significant issue.
“It’s going to be a $1.5 million project,” she said. “It’s not a small project, but we’ve built up our building maintenance budget over the years, knowing that we were going to do something with the outside of the building.”
Heckman added library staff asked construction workers to prioritize the front door, so it will be available to patrons sooner.
Once construction is finished, the library staff is planning to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony and party to celebrate, he said.
“It’s going to be worth it,” he said. “We’re excited to unveil it and when we do, we’re going to have a whole big event.”
Published and digitized March 2026.
