It’s been in the works for years, but the Town of Camp Verde is again moving forward with efforts to build a new town library.

The Camp Verde Town Council got on board last week with the first phase of the project.

That will involve hiring civil engineers to review the designs and the proposed area, along with obtaining approval for the location from Yavapai County, said Kathy Hellman, Camp Verde Community Library director.

The new library would be built in roughly the same area as the existing one on Montezuma Castle Highway. Concerns have been raised in the past because the area is in a floodplain as designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Proponents of the library’s construction have argued they are confident the risk can be mitigated, providing anecdotal accounts from longtime residents that they’ve never seen bad flooding in that area.

Preliminary designs have already been drawn up by local architect Joel Westervelt.

At one point, the new library was expected to cost around $3.2 million.

For the full story, see the Wednesday, Sept. 12, edition of The Camp Verde Journal.