Bullitt County's new library is serving Jefferson County residents. Get your first look

The Bullitt County Public Library has opened a new 45,000 square foot facility to operate as its central branch near the Shepherdsville shopping corridor, replacing its longtime downtown location the system had outgrown.

The Central Library branch officially opened its doors to guests on Sept. 17 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new library, which will serve residents of both Bullitt and Jefferson counties, has already received an “Award of Merit” from the Kentucky Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors for its design, officials said. 

“I think (the library) is going to give folks a place to explore their own personal growth,” said Jennifer Nippert, associate director of the library system. "(People) can learn new things and become more economically viable in terms of brushing up on a skill, adding something to your resume and connecting with other people.” 

The facility, comprised of three parts, will provide a new space for all system administrators to operate in a single location. The other two sections are the community wing, which offers 6,000 square feet of meeting space, and the library proper.  

Jefferson County residents will get to take advantage of everything the central branch has to offer thanks to a reciprocal lending agreement the Bullitt County system has with the Louisville Free Public Library. After applying for a Bullitt County library card, Jefferson County patrons can check out books, participate in classes and even use the maker lab, a space with 3D printing, sublimation printing and other creator technologies.

The library will provide classes and training to educate teens and adults who have a desire to create things, officials said.  

More special features of the library include a local history room, which will allow for genealogy work and a “library of things,” where patrons can check out items such as ukuleles or weighted hula hoops to try before buying one of their own.

The Central Library is also equipped with four small elementally-themed garden spaces. 

“(The library) has wonderful green space gardens throughout the building, so even if you're not a big reader, there's still going to be something here that you'll enjoy,” Nippert said. 

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New branch finally completed after more than two years of delays

In 2018, the Bullitt County system purchased a plot of land at 740 Conestoga Parkway in the Settlers Point Business Park in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. After receiving permission from the planning and development commission, it took just over two years from groundbreaking to completion. Nippert said the project ran into building delays as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues and labor shortages. 

“We had a few things that kind of slowed down because we needed to get additional people on site to work,” Nippert said. 

In late July, the Ridgeway Memorial Library in Bullitt County permanently closed its doors as the library workers made an emergency move into the new Central Library location. The move was a result of the air conditioning going out during record high temperatures in the old 19,000 square foot building.

Nippert said the $10.5 million project, which was funded entirely by Bullitt County, was far less expensive than anticipated thanks to a competitive local bidding process that drove down the price tag. The library was also able to get a historically low interest rate of 2% on the loans needed to complete the project, well below average interest rates on the rise to keep pace with the 8.3% national inflation rate.

“I don't know if we would have been able to build this building for 10 and a half million dollars today (otherwise),” she said. 

One of the more expensive features was adding a 610-panel solar array on the roof. Nippert said the installation will give the library a zero-dollar energy bill and allow the system to sell energy back to LG&E. 

New facility offers better location, parking for patrons

In addition to providing creative spaces, the new facility will also allow more visitors overall. The former downtown location had only 10 parking spots for patrons, but the new location is by the shopping corridor that is home to both Lowe’s and Walmart. Nippert said Bullitt County residents are heavily dependent on cars for transportation, so it was important to build the library in an area with heavy traffic and enough parking to support the library-goers. 

“We knew that people would be driving places, and this is a central destination in Bullitt County,” Nippert said. “We have just about 200 parking spaces now in this lot too." 

Currently, the library system is in discussions with the county regarding the old library location. 

“We believe that (the county) is going to be interested in taking over the building for purposes for the residents of Bullitt County,” Nippert said. “It's not sold (yet), but it's not going to be empty for long.” 

Contact reporter Olivia Evans at oevans@courier-journal.com or on Twitter at @oliviamevans_

Bullitt County Public Library Central Library

The new library location is one of five branches in Bullitt County and offers a local history room, a maker lab and 6,000 square feet of meeting space for visitors.

Location: 740 Conestoga Parkway, Shepherdsville, KY 40165

Hours: Monday–Thursday 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday & Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m.–5 p.m.