City staff and officials, and members of the Friends of the Pflugerville Community Library gathered at  Tuesday 102 10th St. in Pflugerville on Tuesday afternoon to conduct the ceremonial groundbreaking for a long-awaited $7 million library expansion.

Mayor Jeff Coleman and library director Lisa Charbonnet spoke at the event. City Council members Brad Marshall, Darelle White and Victor Gonzales were also on hand to help turn the first dirt on the project, along with city manager Brandon Wade and assistant city manager Trey Fletcher.

In November, Pflugerville City Council members awarded Lee Lewis Construction the $4.04 million contract to build the library expansion.

The expansion more than doubles the current facility to 28,000 square feet, and it will follow a design heavily influenced by a series of 2010 public meetings, as well as by the City Council, Friends of the Library, Library Board members and city staff.

The expanded library will include six conference rooms, two living room areas, a large study area devoted to local and Texas history, a quiet reading room, a colorful children’s area, as well as a highly requested teen area and an updated public computer lab and tech bar for laptop users.

The city of Pflugerville has developed a webpage that allows residents to follow the expansion’s construction at pflugervilletx.gov/libraryexpansion.