Big Turnout for the Fulshear Branch Library opening
FULSHEAR, TX (Covering Katy News) – The new Fort Bend County Fulshear Branch Library is open. Library Director Clara Russell, two county commissioners, and dozens of people visited the facility on Monday, Dec. 18, opening day.
Anticipation for the opening had been building since May, when the Bob Lutz Branch Library closed so employees could prepare the new, much larger facility.
Built in 1998, the Lutz Library was 10,500 square feet. The new facility is 42,000 square feet.
Fort Bend County Precinct 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales had the honor of opening the doors to the public.
“This is one of the nicest libraries we've opened in our system, and I think the community will have something to benefit from for many years to come," Morales said.
He’s excited about having a facility that will serve as a library and community meeting space.
"It's a real asset to the community. It will add a venue for the community to have events and a gathering place for all of Fulshear and Fort Bend counties.”
Morales oversaw the library construction project after inheriting it from Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers, who handled designing the facility but had to pass the baton due to redistricting.
Both men’s precincts were redistricted in a party-line 3-to-2 vote in November of 2021, allowing majority Democrats on the court to remove Katy and Fulshear from Precinct 3 and place them in a newly outlined Precinct 1.
Meyers was upbeat on Monday when he visited the newly opened facility for the first time.
"It's a beautiful building," Meyers said. “It's hard to believe it's a library when you look at it."
The facility has large windows that allow sunlight to stream into the building. It also has a second-floor outside gathering area.
"I was fortunate to have built two previous libraries, Sugar Land and Cinco Ranch,” Meyers said. “In an effort to make each one better, I've observed how the public utilizes them, which changes over time. One of the things I’ve learned is that people want more open spaces so there can be more community gatherings. So that’s what we have in the new Fulshear Branch Library."
This week’s opening is considered a soft opening, as library employees are still making the large facility fully ready. A grand opening celebration and a ribbon-cutting ceremony will happen next month.
The Fulshear Branch Library's address is 6350 GM Library Road, a short distance west of the southernmost roundabout on the Texas Heritage Parkway.
Fort Bend County government story disclaimer: Covering Katy owner Dennis Spellman is also employed by the Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner’s Office.