The message was clear from residents attending a virtual meeting on the Conifer library: They want a full-service free-standing library.

They especially want children’s programming during the day, something lacking at the Conifer library that is in Conifer High School, which is open only when school is not in session. Residents also asked for spaces for teens, study rooms, community gatherings and quiet reading, and a bonus would be outdoor space for kids to play and adults to relax.

About 20 Conifer residents attended the virtual meeting on May 15. The Jefferson County Public Library board also conducted an in-person meeting on May 13 as it gathers information about what it calls the Conifer library opportunity.

Donna Walker, the Jefferson County Public Library executive director, has said the May community meetings will allow the library district to move to the next level by getting additional input after stakeholder meetings, so it can develop a program of service for the Conifer area. She said it was too soon to know whether the library district will move toward a free-standing library or some other library configuration.

The library board put $2.5 million in its 2023 budget for the Conifer library, Walker said.

The library board will hear a report at its July 20 meeting about the results of the community meetings and survey, Walker said, and the library board should hear recommendations in August.

Conifer’s library has been in Conifer High School since the school opened in 1996. The 8,900-square-foot library space is open to the public when school is not in session. With the change in start and end times at Conifer High School beginning in August, the library will be open fewer hours each week. Currently, school ends at CHS at 3 p.m.; next year, school will end at 3:45 p.m.

Walker said the changing school times precipitated the library board to look at other options for Conifer library.

The Conifer Area Council has been advocating for a free-standing library for several years based on feedback from community surveys it conducts.

Walker told those participating on the May 15 call that the library board had not made any conclusions.

“What needs to happen is to get your input, so we make sure we can continue to serve the community,” she said.

Participants called the current library space limited in its offerings, underutilized and unknown because some Conifer residents don’t know the library exists in Conifer High School.

They said community spaces in a new library could be used for speakers, classes, author talks, arts and crafts, and more programming for all ages at different times throughout the day. Homeschool groups would love to have additional space.

They asked whether there were synergies with a broader-based community center that could benefit the Conifer community.