Yes!  An elevator to the second and third floors can be accessed from the front of the building on Chesapeake Avenue. 

The project is not over budget—the building and furniture are fully funded, but the Calvert Library Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit, is leading a capital campaign to outfit the new building with extras like a maker space and podcasting booth that will bring innovative technology and opportunity to the citizens of Calvert County.  

There will be dedicated parking on the ground floor of the new library building to supplement parking around the town of North Beach.  In addition, there will be several handicap spaces in front of the building on Chesapeake Avenue.  This parking will be earmarked for library customers during open hours, but will be available for public parking when the library is closed. 

The new Twin Beaches branch is being built on the corner of Chesapeake Avenue and 5th Street in North Beach. Projected opening is late winter or early spring of 2024. 

All staff and services in the current branch in Chesapeake Beach will move to the new space in North Beach upon opening. The library’s current home is leased space—it will be up to the owners to determine how the space will be used going forward.  

The new Twin Beaches Branch of Calvert Library will feature technology and services including a maker space outfitted for science, art and technology, a memory lab with digitization equipment and a podcasting booth where library users can host their own podcast, meet with clients, conduct an interview, collect family stories or engage in another creative venture. Additionally, dedicated children’s and teen areas will provide space for young people from babies to teens to engage in learning and gathering opportunities supporting their social, emotional and intellectual growth. 

The Calvert Library Foundation happily accepts donations to support Calvert Library projects and its mission through its General Campaign Fund. The Foundation has also set up a Twin Beaches Fund that will be specifically earmarked for additional services and features of the new Twin Beaches Branch. For more information or to make a donation specific to the Twin Beaches project, please visit  the Twin Beaches Branch webpage, click donate and change “General Campaign Fund” to “Twin Beaches Fund.” 

The new branch will be 18,000 square feet—almost four times the size of the current Twin Beaches branch. There will be three floors—parking on the ground –floor and two floors of library space above. The second floor (main level) will feature a 100–seat meeting room, group and study spaces, public computers and the adult collection. The third-floor features children’s and teen spaces with a program room and maker space. 

The building has been designed to allay the risk of flooding by raising the main floor of the building ten feet above the flood plain with a ground floor parking area designed to drain quickly and effectively.  Additionally, the town of North Beach has made concerted efforts to improve pump stations and other infrastructure to mitigate the risk of flood damage for buildings throughout town.