Construction on new Rolling Hills Library begins

Construction crews are leveling the ground near the intersection of Faraon Street and Riverside Road.

Development on the new Rolling Hills Library is underway to replace the current St. Joseph branch located off of the North Belt Highway. Work on the nearly four-acre plot of land began in January.

A site camera was placed in the area to help monitor the construction’s progress. Rolling Hills Library Director Michelle Mears said there should be enough photos in a week to provide a time lapse.

“We’ll have enough photos to really make it pop, and then people will be able to watch the progress happening,” she said.

Instead of a groundbreaking ceremony, there will be another event for the public to attend after the building begins to take shape.

“Around the first week of June, when a lot of the structure is already up, we will have one steel beam laid out on some sawhorses and invite the public to come visit,” Mears said. “Everyone can sign it, and it will go in the building and be welded into place.”

The new library’s theme is centered around bringing the outdoors inside. Building plans show large windows that will allow for plenty of natural light, which is a feature the current building lacks.

“It’s sort of enclosed, it’s mostly underground,” Mears said. “And so that’s really what we’re looking forward to. Just knowing what the weather is outside.”

Mears is meeting with the construction manager and architect twice a month as the buildout continues.

“We’re just excited that this spring has come a little early,” she said. “We’re glad the groundhog was wrong, and we’re out here building.

The new library is estimated to open in early 2026. Anyone interested can find architect renderings of the new building and a site camera showing ongoing progress at https://rhcl.org/building-project-11735.