DREW WINCHESTER City and county officials, along with some eager young friends, cut the ribbon on the brand new Northwest Regional Library on Saturday morning.

Northwest Cape Coral residents now have their own library, as city and county officials cut the ribbon on the brand new Northwest Regional Library on Saturday morning.
The $15 million facility boasts state of the art equipment and a sleek, modern design, spread out over 41,142 sq ft. Construction was paid for from the library reserve funds and a $500,000 public library construction grant from the state of Florida.
The opening ceremony was packed with people looking on as local dignitaries sliced the ribbon on the library system’s future.
“Knowledge is power, and we need to empower the people,” said Cape Coral Mayor John Sullivan. “This is a great day for Northwest Cape Coral and a great day for the city.”
Situated between Mariner Middle and Mariner High schools, the new library features a cafe area, adult quiet reading space, comfortable chairs, study rooms, large panel TV screens, meeting rooms, enclosed courtyard space, self check out and check in stations, 24/7 book return that immediately checks material in and 79 public computers spread across the library.
It was just over a year ago when officials broke ground on the new facility. And much like that day, Saturday’s ceremony was marked by early rains that didn’t come close to dampening anyone’s spirit.
County Library System Director Sheldon Kaye said there was a “perfect symmetry” between the two days and felt like he was watching one movie end while another was beginning.
“Now this movie is about to start,” Kaye said. “There were so many people who had a part in this, so many who were a tremendous help.”
Kaye credited the Friends of the Northwest Regional Library especially, saying their efforts throughout the process helped to make it all possible.
For instance, the Friends group was responsible for purchasing the more than 117,000 new pieces of library materials.
As the patrons, young and old, flooded the library floor to peruse the stacks, the immediate impact of the new library was readily clear.
“Its not often we get to open a structure that impacts so many lives,” said Lee County Chairwoman Tammy Hall.
The Northwest Regional Library is located at 519 Chiquita Blvd. The hours of operation are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 to 6 p.m., Tuesday from noon to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 9 to 5 p.m.