ORLANDO, Fla. — The city of Maitland recently approved and adopted a resolution calling a referendum that will ask Maitland residents to fund a new public library and restore the city’s current historic library.

The city is asking residents for about $14 million for both projects.

A beautiful day for Dara, her mom and daughter, as they take their daily stroll through the Quinn Strong Park just blocks away from their home.

“When we decided to move there and build the house, it was a big thing having the park here and knowing we’re going to have babies and the dog and being able to come out here and play because our yard is not that big," Maitland resident Dara Lalchandani said. "So this was like a great green space for her.” 

As a new homeowner, Lalchandani says she knew about the city’s plans to build a new library but didn’t know it would be a cost she’d have to pay. But if approved, she says she supports the city’s plan.

“I think it's great," she said. "We would be happy to spend a little extra money in taxes to redo this. It needs a lot of work with the grass and the landscaping, but I think having a new building here would be awesome.”

City of Maitland Public Information Officer Robert Sargent says the current library has been there since 1907 and has since been repurposed over the years. He says the library is outdated and fixing it would then hinder interior space.

The city then looked at the idea of constructing a new library at the which would cost around $18.7 million. In addition, the city would use about $4.5 million to renovate the existing library for other public use.

“As far as the funding goes the city has about five million dollars in existing monies that we could put towards the project and we are pledging to that but the voters will be voting on March 19 about $14 million for construction of a new library,” Sargent said. If approved, the new library would be built on the city’s three-acre lot off of Maitland and Packwood Avenue.

Right now, that lot includes the Maitland Senior Citizens building, which would be torn down to build the new library.

“During construction we will hear it and might not be able to come out here as much, but I think the end product will be great and it’ll be worth it in the end,” Lalchandani said.

If voters pass this referendum, on average, a taxpayer could be paying between $100 to $200 every year. The city says this is a 20-year financing project.