The Cuyahoga County Public Library is preparing for an opening celebration commemorating its new branch at 500 SOM Center Road in Mayfield Village.

The grand opening is set for April 20, with the dedication event lasting from 2 to 5 p.m. that day. The event is being billed as a "Birthday/Earth Day Bash" in honor of the library system's 90th year of existence and because it takes place one week before Earth Day.

"This new building is going to be special," library system spokeswoman Hallie Rich said. "It has plenty of exciting features."

Among them are a back wall of windows that overlook trails of the Cleveland Metroparks' North Chagrin Reservation and dedicated spaces for technology, teens, and vending machines and coffee.

In all, the $11.7 million library is 30,000 square feet. It is one of 18 replacement and renovation projects in the library system. The project was funded out of a capital budget, separate from taxpayer funds.

"When all projects are complete, the replacements and renovations will help us reduce our operating budget by $4 million," Rich said. "(The facilities) will be more energy efficient from a layout perspective with better sight lines."

The current Mayfield branch will close for the week prior to the new one's April 20th opening to give personnel time to move the collection. 

The library system broke ground on the new branch last May. Panzica Construction Co. managed the project. The eco-friendly design was done by URS Corporation.