Capital Improvement Program
The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System (AFPLS) serves the citizens of Fulton County and the City of Atlanta, including the portion of the city located in DeKalb County. With 34 libraries and a collection of more than 2.5 million items, AFPLS is the largest library system in the state of Georgia and offers innovative programs, services and virtual resources tailored to meet the needs of each branch community.
In November 2008, Fulton County voters overwhelmingly approved a $275 million Library Bond Referendum for the purpose of implementing the Library Facility Master Plan requiring the design, construction and equipping of new 8 new library facilities, the renovation and expansion of 2 existing libraries and the renovation of all other existing library facilities owned by the County.
This Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is divided into two phases. Phase I involves the design and construction of 8 New Branch Libraries (Alpharetta, East Roswell, Milton, Northwest, Palmetto, Southeast Atlanta, Metropolitan and Wolf Creek) and the expansion of 2 libraries (Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History and South Fulton Library). The total budget for the Phase I program is $167 million and includes all costs for design, construction, furniture and equipment and open day collections. The construction of all 10 Phase I libraries have been completed and each library is open and serving the public.
Phase II of the Library CIP has a budget of $108 million and involves the renovation of 22 existing libraries, including the Central Library. These projects are currently in the pre-construction stage and are projected to begin construction in spring 2017.
Green building design and sustainability are priorities for all the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System projects and the Library expects to achieve LEED Silver on all of the Phase I projects. It is also the goal of Fulton County to achieve, at a minimum, LEED Certification on all Phase II branch library renovations. For the Central Library renovation, the goal is much higher - LEED Platinum is targeted. To date, seven (7) Library projects have received LEED Silver and three (3) have received LEED Gold certifications.