Putnam County Library Hoping To Expand Parking Lot

Putnam County Library Cookeville Branch is putting together plans for parking lot expansion.

Director Kathryn Wisinger said the building and parking lot are 50 years old. She said they are in need of upgrades and in need of more space.

“So we’re excited about that,” Wisinger said. “We back up to Dogwood Park as a lot of people know so a lot of people use our parking lot not just for the library but also to access the park. Which is great, we love this area, we love being here, we just need more room.”

Wisinger said the expansion would not go into the park or take any park space. She said they have also talked about the parking across the road, but do not like the idea of kids crossing the street without a proper crosswalk. Wisinger said right now, the plan is to hopefully expand towards the history museum and potentially share parking with it.

Wisinger said the efforts to make this happen have been a group effort. She said she meets frequently with the county and city officials about what needs to be done to get the work done.

“The next steps will be getting a plan approved, making sure that the city and the county are both on the same page with our plan,” Wisinger said. “And then submitting it to the correct channels for both the city and the county to get it approved financially as well.”