Editor\u2019s note: Early voting for Fort Worth\u2019s May 2 election opens April 22. In the lead-up, the Report is breaking down each bond proposition and charter amendment on the ballot. Find the other articles here<\/a> as they are published.<\/p>\n South Fort Worth could see its former Seminary South Library reopen if voters approve a $14.6 million bond ask on May 2.<\/p>\n The library proposition makes up 1.7% of the city\u2019s $845 million bond proposal<\/a> on the ballot. Residents will vote on six propositions separately during the election.\u00a0<\/p>\n The city\u2019s bond package would fund three library projects across Fort Worth, including the reopening of Seminary South, which closed in 2022<\/a> after 55 years to be replaced by the Fort Worth History Center<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n If approved, officials would use $2.2 million to relocate the history center, which is slated to move to the former City Hall building in downtown, said public information officer Theresa Davis.\u00a0<\/p>\n Residents in south Fort Worth have advocated for the library\u2019s return<\/a>, Davis said. She added that project timelines would be confirmed if the bond passes.\u00a0<\/p>\n What is a municipal bond?\u00a0<\/p>\n Bond elections<\/a> allow voters to decide whether governmental entities, in this case the city of Fort Worth, may borrow millions to billions of dollars from investors in exchange for interest payments and the eventual repayment of the original debt. The borrowed money must be spent on infrastructure projects specified to voters in propositions, such as street improvements and public facilities renovations.\u00a0<\/p>\n If the Seminary South branch reopens, Fort Worth officials would \u201creevaluate\u201d the needs and staff allocations for La Gran Biblioteca<\/a>, Davis said. The retail-based library opened in La Gran Plaza de Fort Worth in 2022 to fill the gap left by Seminary South\u2019s closing.<\/p>\n 2026 bond proposed library projects:<\/p>\n Another $9.2 million of the proposition is earmarked to modernize the Southwest Regional Library,<\/a> which was built in 1987 near the Overton Park and Tanglewood neighborhoods.\u00a0<\/p>\n Davis said the \u201cextensive\u201d renovation would expand the library\u2019s programming space to meet community needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the design process for these renovations, we will determine if these goals can be achieved by expanding the building footprint or working within the existing structure,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n North Fort Worth\u2019s Diamond Hill\/Jarvis Library<\/a>, which opened in 1989, will see similar renovations estimated at $2.9 million if the proposal passes, she said.<\/p>\n Both the Diamond Hill and Southwest libraries were \u201cstrong candidates for remodel\u201d due to projected population growth nearby and corresponding demand increase, Davis said. The two libraries are typically used as voting locations on Election Day, which takes up their limited spaces and time, she added.<\/p>\n The final $300,000 of the proposition will fund public art projects<\/a> if voters support the measure. The city\u2019s charter requires 2% capital improvement project funding to be set aside for public art, with few exceptions.<\/p>\n Fort Worth\u2019s last bond proposal in 2022 devoted $12.5 million to libraries.\u00a0<\/p>\n Aside from the required public art funding, that proposition was for a new library to serve the booming population in far north Fort Worth<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The project \u2014 now named the Sendera Springs Library<\/a> \u2014 is on track to open in early 2027, Davis said.<\/p>\n Drew Shaw is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org<\/a>or @shawlings601<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n