Residents of Buda celebrate new library, city hall

It's been almost four years since voters passed a $55 million bond to build a municipal facility in Buda.

A ribbon cutting helped kicked things off Saturday morning as hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the Buda City Hall and Public Library. 

The two-story building is 55,000-square feet; the library takes up a portion of the building which is approximately 25,000 square feet.

Lindsay Lehman and her family stopped by to check out the new facility and put it to good use. 

She said a few months ago she realized just how cramped the old library was. 

"We've gone to the story time so that got so busy and so crowded and I couldn't find a seat for my little ones because we out grew the space for sure," said Lehman. 

Fellow Buda resident Carolyn Fee's also noticed the overcrowding. 

"We had a 5,000 square foot library prior and we were over flowing we were at the point where they couldn't keep all their books in the library they had to cycle out books broke my heart," said Fees.

Buda City Manager Kenneth Williams said the new building was constructed with extra space to accommodate future growth for the next 25 to 30 years. 

"Of course Buda is one of the fastest growing cities so we are here to accommodate that growth and we are going to need the resources to support that growth as we go forward," said Williams. 

Not only will residents enjoy the library.  They will be able to take care of city business all under one roof. "We have all of our core city offices here; planning, engineering or water. Whatever it may be. Our goal is to provide and make us more efficient and productive as a city," said Williams.  

The library includes an area where kids can read, study and get crafty.  

David Cruz said reading helps him use his imagination and transports him into another world. 

"It's goes straight to where the characters go and to their perspective. You can learn and have a better future," said Cruz. "The old library didn't have as much space so we had to have less books but now with more space there's more of a variety that we can read."