By JAIME ANTON

The Post staff writer

Marcia Kareha doesn't want to see the North Royalton Library's friendly, inviting, helpful nature disappear when the new branch opens.

Kareha, a North Royalton resident of 19 years, is afraid the new site will be very similar to the Strongsville branch, which many described at a town hall meeting in March as cold and clinical.

"I want it to stay people friendly. I want it to keep that intimate feeling it has now," she said. "I don't like the library in Strongsville. It doesn't have a warm feeling. When you come here and look around, everyone is so friendly. They practically jump over themselves to help you. I don't want to lose that. The library here is excellent."

Kareha was one of more than 30 residents who attended the first of a several focus groups to discuss concerns and wants for the new branch, which is expected to break ground in the summer of 2012 and open a year later.

Those in attendance were divided into five groups and each group rotated through five stations manned by representatives of the Cuyahoga County Public Library System. The five stations were children's services, teen services, adult services, technology and public gathering spaces. Each station featured colorful, vibrant photos from new branches throughout the system as a starting point for conversation.

Tracy Strobel, deputy director for the CCPL, said the library and community are only at the very beginning of the process.

"It's the perfect time to hear from you all because we are building this for the North Royalton community and for your use so we certainly want to know your thoughts on how you want the library designed, what you want the library to look like and what you want it to house to serve you best. That's what today is all about," she said.

June Garcia, a library consultant, likened the focus group meeting to a family discussing its wants and needs when purchasing or building a new home.

"Do we want a patio deck? Do we want four bedrooms?" she said.

A similar meeting geared more toward parents of younger children was hosted Aug. 17 after The Post's deadline. More meetings will be hosted in the future as the project progresses to update residents and gain input and feedback throughout the process.

The new library, which doubles the current space from 15,000 to 30,000 square feet, will be constructed on five acres adjacent to the planned North Royalton Family YMCA. The city was instrumental in assisting the library in securing this property. The city purchased 15 acres next to the Y and gave the front five acres to the library in exchange for the current State Road site, including three parcels to the north of the building, when the branch is vacated.

Mayor Bob Stefanik said the new site on Wallings Road is a prime locale and will become a focal point in the community.

"I think this, with the YMCA, the library and hopefully a park in the future behind these buildings is something that is really great for the city of North Royalton. I believe we pushed up the timetable with the library by finding some suitable land for the library that puts it in a position to be one of the premier facilities with the YMCA in all of Cuyahoga County," he said.

Kareha, Gerry Keaton, Kathleen Payne, Joan Charvat and Mary Jo Funk, all from North Royalton, were in one group. The first thing they discussed was adult services.

"The Middleburg Heights branch is too confusing. When you walk in, it's like, 'which way do I go?'" Charvat said.

Kareha discussed her concerns about the branch losing its inviting feeling.

Bookcase height was another issue brought up, as was ensuring that the new branch had lots of light and windows.

"This looks too much like a college," Kareha said holding up a picture of the interior of a newer branch. "I don't like the college feel. I want it to be cozy."

Meanwhile, another group, the public gathering spaces station, mentioned things like movable tables and chairs, storage for tables and chairs, open outlets throughout the buildings, a self-serve cafe, study rooms and a reading area/courtyard.

"How many restrooms do you plan on having?" Payne added. "And we need more women's stalls then men."

"We're thinking about having a family restroom too," Jeanne Cilenti, North Royalton branch manager, said.

The children's services focus group discussed things like bright colors, decorative shelving and seating options.

Robin Dever, a professor at Heidelberg College, said she would like to see a greater selection of teen books, especially nonfiction and poetry.

"I teach adolescent literature, language arts and adolescent writing. I pick up a lot of my materials here and the materials are limited," she explained.

Cilenti manned the public gathering spaces station, and said she thought the meeting went very well.

"They were very engaged, and truly had an interest in making this the best library it can be for North Royalton," she said of the focus groups.

She said library customers particularly stressed the need for good meeting rooms especially for organizations of North Royalton, good bathroom space with a family restroom near the children's area and space for crafts.

Ward 4 Councilman Paul Marnecheck participated in the groups and was impressed with the flow of the meeting, the library staff's preparedness and the residents' involvement.

"This is a good starting point. There were a lot of creative ideas, a lot of residents coming together to build the best library we can possibly have in North Royalton," he said. "The library staff will collect the data, there will be more focus groups, and in the end, I'm confident we are going to build the right library for our community."

Marnecheck glanced over at another focus group huddled around pictures and heavy in discussion about children's services. One of their newest ideas was an aquarium.

"See, that's a great idea. Kids like fish, I like fish," Marnecheck said. "That's how you get a good library, you ask questions and give suggestions others haven't thought of. This is going to be a dynamite development. Hopefully this will take the best of the recent libraries that have been built and put them into one facility. And, being next to the YMCA, I don't think we could ask for a better location."