Groundbreaking ceremony marks start of new West Las Vegas Library construction

KTNV Las Vegas
by Isabella Martin

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Amidst dirt and rocks, the groundbreaking celebration for the new West Las Vegas Library marked the beginning of a transformative venture on Tuesday.

"It's been in the works for almost ten years. Before then, it's been a dream for many, many years," said Nikole Brooks, a West Las Vegas resident.

The current location on Lake Mead Blvd and J Street opened 34 years ago and will soon have a new home.

"This new Historic West Side library is not only going to be about bridging the digital divide but actually making an impactful change on people's lives," Kelvin Watson, the Executive Director for the Las Vegas, Clark County Library District, said.

Double the size of the current location, the new library will be two stories and over 41,000 square feet, situated right on N M.L.K. Blvd.

For West Las Vegas resident Nikole Brooks, it's a day she's been waiting for a long time.

"A lot of times you hear things, and you hope that it comes to fruition, but the fact that we are here, and the community came out because we are excited about the fact that it's actually going to be here," Brooks shared.

Brooks, also the Director of Engagement at the nearby Democracy Prep School, believes the new library will be a great resource for her students.

"A lot of times our families do not have WiFi access at their homes, but a lot of the work that needs to be done for our campus, they need WiFi," Brooks explained.

The new library will offer resources such as early child-care development, business development, 3D printing, teen areas, community event space, and more.

"This is an incredible time. Learning library history, access, equity, for everybody to use their brains and learn about where we come from, what we've achieved," Mayor Goodman remarked.

Mayor Goodman, alongside other community leaders, joined the groundbreaking ceremony for the new library location.

The new library is something that locals feel is a necessity.

"The access to materials, and because they bring art in, there are plays, and all kinds of things that they would not have access to if they weren't at the library. It's a great thing to have a new library," a local resident shared.

Construction for the library is set to begin in March, with the current plan to open in Fall of 2025 in West Las Vegas.