A scaled-back

plan to expand Peachtree City's library with a 5,000 sq. ft. addition

could be on the ballot for voters this November.

The city's

Library Commission is exploring the possibility of asking voters to approve

bond financing for the project. There are no firm costs estimates yet

but city staff are working to choose a company to design the expansion.

The commission

wants the expansion to add a separate children's wing. It would also create

more room for the library's adult offerings to expand, said commission

member Barbara Swafford.

"It's

two things at once," Swafford said. "It's for everyone."

The expansion

would allow the library's inventory to nearly double from 68,000 items

to 119,000 items.

The estimated

cost for the expansion is $1.43 million, which includes renovation of

part of the library's existing space.

Once the expansion

is complete, the library will need a full-time children's specialist and

a part-time children's assistant to help staff the additional space. This

would add roughly $53,000 annually to the cost of the facility for salaries,

according to projections.

The library

currently has a full-time staff of seven employees with 10 part-timers;

nearly 20,000 registered cardholders have borrowing privileges at the

library.

The commission

will have a workshop on the issue Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the city's public

works department off McIntosh Trail.

Commission

chairman Chris Clark said time is of the essence to get the issue on the

ballot, and he urged city staff to work as quickly as possible on the

matter.

"Time

is ticking with the November election coming up," Clark said.

Much advance

work has already been complied on details of what the commission would

like to see happen with the children's section, including:

A miniature

circulation desk, which would be fully staffed.

Four children's

computers.

A story time

room.

The current

story time room would be converted to a young adult section that would

be maintained by the youth services librarian.

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