Nearly 40 people attended the second community engagement meeting for the Wildwood Library building project on Monday, April 23. 

Tim McIlwain with HCM Architects opened the meeting by sharing the common themes that emerged through the first community engagement meetings and surveys collected online and in person at Wildwood Library. 

Visitors come to Wildwood Library because of the location, connections to staff and community members, and to pick up books and materials. Those who responded appreciate the current space's natural light and quiet atmosphere, but would come more often if there were better meeting rooms, more children's activities, and dedicated spaces for different types of visitors. They felt more people would come to the library if there were better access, more appealing amenities, and more variety in programs and spaces. 

For the rest of the open house, attendees were encouraged to look at various boards spread out around the room and post comments on the material. These boards showed the themes from the survey, photos of design themes from other libraries, and a continuing conversation board where attendees could give input on the look and feel, community connections, and future services of a new library. 

Members of the architectural team, and library and county staff were available to discuss questions and issues with individuals during the session. 

The next community engagement meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 17 from 6:30 - 8 p.m. in Room 103 at the District Education Center in Mahtomedi, 1520 Mahtomedi Avenue. RSVP to the event on Facebook for reminders.