Library staff, board members and Natrona County residents still are planning a possible new library.

In the third meeting asking for public comment, library Director Bill Nelson told a group of roughly five citizens the plans for the new building.

"I wanted to get more information," said Casper resident Chuck Engstrom responded when asked why he attended.

If a possible sixth-cent expiring sales tax is approved, the new building may be at the old American Pipe site, an area near the North Platte River and the First Street bridge.

"We were hoping they could find something closer to the existing building," Engstrom said. "It's been there 100 years, and we've gotten used to it being in that location."

Nelson said the library needs a new building because the current one is too small for Natrona County's needs and there's no more room to build.

In order to build another floor on top of the existing building the entire structure would need to be gutted and the floors, beams and walls reinforced. That still wouldn't solve the issue of parking.

Casper resident Bruce Walgren said he hopes to see the project happen. With the continued use of the library, he said, building a new one "seems like it would be a good thing to do."

There is a clear need, he said, for a larger children's library, teen zone and technology area, which are several components that will be addressed in the new building plans.

Nelson also hopes to have a working floor plan available for public comment in the next several weeks. He wants to make sure the building is structured in a way that it can operate as a library before inviting the public to comment.

The board of trustees will discuss the complete cost of the project as well as language of the proposal in a meeting at 5 p.m. on Thursday.

Contact city reporter Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@trib.com