PARK HEIGHTS, Md — Officials broke ground Wednesday on a new Enoch Pratt Library branch in Park Heights, marking a significant investment in a community that has been without a library for more than 30 years.
WATCH: Officials break ground on new Enoch Pratt Library branch
"We will no longer disinvest in this neighborhood," Mayor Brandon Scott said during the groundbreaking ceremony.
The new library branch represents the type of investment Baltimore City is making in the Park Heights community, according to Mayor Brandon Scott. The neighborhood hasn't had a library since 1991.
Scott and State Delegate Malcolm Ruff, both of whom grew up in the neighborhood, were among the officials present at the groundbreaking.
"We both were very young men when our parents delivered the news to us that our library that you can see still up the street was closing, that it was going to be gone," Scott said.
Scott said traveling more than 2 miles to the closest library on Reisterstown Road is not convenient for everyone living in Park Heights.
Councilwoman Sharon Green Middleton said she is proud to be part of creating a space that can have a major impact in the community.
"This library will become a cultural cornerstone for the community, offering a welcoming space for individuals of all ages to come together, discover, learn, and engage with each other," Middleton said.
The library project, along with the expansion of CC Jackson Park, has been in development for several years.
"The idea of establishing this library has been a topic of discussion and planning since I took office over 18 years ago," Middleton said.
Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen said the library's impact extends beyond books on shelves.
"I was so grateful when, after the mass overdose that we saw not too far from here that we had our peers in the library go out and support people that needed that crisis response," Cohen said.
The expansion of CC Jackson Park will connect it to the Enoch Pratt Library branch on the 3200 block of Woodland Avenue. The entire project is expected to be completed by September 2027.
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