With all of the new construction in terms of residential and commercial buildings as well as those of new schools, one project that has been five years in the making saw the first dirt turned Thursday morning.

The board of directors for the Ascension Parish Library system broke ground on their new library location on Hwy. 73 in Dutchtown, nearly across the highway from Dutchtown High School.

The 23,000-square-foot facility, set to be built out over the next 12 to 18 months, will give the system its fourth branch in the parish, joining branches in Donaldsonville, Galvez and Gonzales.

The new library will also offer residents in the Dutchtown, western Prairieville and Geismar areas less of a drive to conduct research, hold meetings or just sit and enjoy a good book, magazine or other periodical. This area is the fastest growing part of the fastest growing parish in Louisiana, so it’s only right that the library system keep up with the growth and cater to residents here.

During the even, APL Board Chairman Lauthaught Delaney Sr. said that the people of Ascension Parish can expect more growth from their public library system in the years to come. These include a coming expansion to the existing Gonzales location on South Irma Boulevard that will double its capacity.

We applaud the efforts of the board and the library directors in being a beacon of education for minds both young and old in Ascension Parish. While some may believe that building new libraries in this technological age is a waste of time, we believe there will always be a place for libraries in the continuing goal of furthering our knowledge.

We look forward to what the future holds for our parish library system. With plans to build future branches already in the works, it looks like it will be an interesting read.