Wake County voters might consider a $94 million library bond this fall. If approved, it would fund a new library in Rolesville, the only Wake County municipality without one.
County staff are recommending that commissioners put the bond to voters, though the board has not finalized that decision.
In addition to the new Rolesville location, the bond would also fund replacement libraries at Athens Drive and Wendell, as well as significant renovation to the library administrative building in southeast Raleigh.
Libraries are in towns surrounding Rolesville, including in Wake Forest, Knightdale, Wendell, and Zebulon. If one were added in Rolesville, it would increase the percentage of Wake County residents who live within a 10-minute drive of a library from 85% to 87%, according to county staff.
Proposed projects
- Rolesvillle Library: $14 million
- Athens Drive Library Replacement: $17 million
- Wendell Library Replacement: $18 million
- Library Administration Building: $25 million
- Library Renovations and Improvements system wide: $19 million
Note: Totals don't equal $94 million due to rounding
Rolesville, while small, has grown rapidly. In 2022, the town's population was 9,696, which is more than double its population in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The town has a median household income of $145,000, which is higher than the Raleigh-Cary metro, and more than double that of the state as a whole, according to census data.
The town is in the process of developing a Town Hall district. A library would be an essential part of that campus plan, said Mical McFarland, Rolesville's Community and Economic Development Manager.
"A complete civic campus. Police department, we're thinking about fire department there, community center, new town hall, and then, of course, the Wake County library," he said. "A place that's sort of a resource center for the community. Free Internet access for people; a workspace for tele-commuters. Libraries provide all those things so it'll be great to finally have that in town."
County staff have asked the board of commissioners to finalize the amount and wording of the bond question by April or May.