A plan to create a new home for the Mars Area Public Library, as well as a NASA-related discovery center, is an example of how communities can collaborate for the good of everyone.

As we learned in the Friday, May 3, edition of the Butler Eagle, officials from Mars Borough and Adams Township, along with NexTier Bank, are hoping to build a new building at 145 Grand Ave. in Mars, the historic Mars Bank building that now houses a NexTier branch. The ground floor would be home to the bank while the upper floors would hold the Mars Area Public Library and a discovery center.

The discovery center was inspired by the borough’s relationship with NASA, which started in 2015 with the first Mars New Year celebration. The center would be a showcase for science and technological development.

Because of the way the project is being funded, all three partners — Mars, Adams Township and NexTier — are essential. The state awarded Mars a $1 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Project grant for the discovery center project nearly five years ago, but to get the money, Mars had to put up $2 million in cash or property.

After discussions, NexTier agreed to give the property on Grand Avenue, appraised at $2.8 million, to Adams Township and Mars for 25 years, who in turn agreed to lease the ground floor of the new building back to the bank for $1 per year.

And the community definitely needs a new space for the library. In October, for example, the library averaged more than 200 visits per day.

“The library's outgrown itself to some degree,” Mars Mayor Gregg Hartung said. “It’s the third-most used library in Butler County. Parking is an issue.”

As Russell Ford, Adams Township supervisor chairman, pointed out, there is still much to be sorted out and a lot of planning to do. But the first steps are promising, and show how multiple governments and the private sector can all work together and create something special for the community.

— JK