More Than Books: Horizon West Finds Connection at Its New Library
More than 1,000 People Turned Out for Opening Day, Offering a Glimpse of What the Long-awaited Library Means to the Growing Community
By 10 a.m. on Oct. 10, hundreds of residents had gathered outside the new Horizon West Library in 91-degree heat, filling the courtyard with cheerful conversation as they waited for the ribbon cutting and the doors to finally open.
Some came for the books. Others were excited about children’s activities, classes, technology or simply having a place to gather close to home. By the end of the day, more than 1,000 people had visited the new branch, according to Orange County Library System.
Together, they offered a clear answer to anyone wondering what role a public library still plays in a growing community.
Owen Hall was among the first to arrive, getting there around 8 a.m., before the tents were even set up, after watching Horizon West wait years for a library of its own.
What excites him most isn’t simply having books nearby. It’s having more opportunities to connect.
“Adult activities where people my age can actually go and do stuff are sometimes rare, but the library has them,” Hall said.
A Place for Families
Families were drawn to the library for different reasons, sometimes even within the same household.
Heather Mosqueta said she looks forward to taking classes with friends while her children enjoy the children’s area. For young Bruce Mosqueta, the play area and a chance to observe solar flares made opening day a must.
For Pooja Sheth, who attended with Ronan Duffy, the new library was one of the reasons she chose to become a local.
“It’s a great place to bring our kids since we love story time, but having this third space for other parents to interact is really special,” she said.
Another nearby mother of four, Quinghua, who preferred to be identified by her first name, was especially excited about the prospect of family programs and having a library her children can reach easily.
“It’s finally here! My kids can ride scooters or bikes to borrow books,” she said. “We are very, very excited.”
For residents who had been watching the project take shape for months or even years, opening day marked the end of a long wait. But many of the conversations outside the library focused less on the building itself and more on what could happen inside it.
Connection at Its Core
“It’s more important now than ever to support your local library,” Kelly Hughes said while waiting for the ceremony to begin. “They offer a free gathering spot without any expectations for all walks of life. From birth to grave, the library has something for everyone.”
Janet Allen, who attended with her grandchildren, saw similar potential for bringing neighbors together.
“People can get to know each other here instead of going home with the garage door closing behind them,” she said.
Allen also pointed to opportunities for parents with young children to organize playgroups, tutoring and other activities.
It was a theme that surfaced repeatedly throughout opening day: The library is not simply somewhere to find something to read. Residents see it as a place to learn something new, spend time with family, meet neighbors and build connections that can sometimes be difficult to create in a fast-growing community.
Years in the Making
Orange County Library System CEO Steve Powell opened the ceremony by recognizing the library staff, elected officials, architects, contractors and others who helped bring the branch to life.
“We typically take about twice this long,” Powell said of the process of bringing a new branch from construction to opening, crediting collaboration among the teams involved.
Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings connected the new library to the growth that has transformed Horizon West and surrounding Orange County communities.
“With that growth comes responsibility to ensure residents have access to the services and employment spaces they need to thrive,” Demings said, describing a library as “one of the most valuable investments” a community can make.
County Commissioner Nicole Wilson focused on another role libraries play: giving residents access to ideas.
“Reading is an act of freedom,” Wilson said, “giving us the freedom to think for ourselves, challenge assumptions and form our own understanding of the world.”
For children, she added, “a book can open a door to possibilities they don’t know yet are within their reach.”
Moments later, ceremonial scissors cut through the ribbon and the waiting crowd surged through the doors.
The Doors Open, Finally!
An energetic mariachi trio serenaded visitors in the lobby as families spread throughout the new 20,000-square-foot branch, exploring everything from books and meeting spaces to technology and hands-on activities.
The children's area beckoned with a colorful 57-foot mural of native pollinators, while other guests explored gathering spaces and rooms designed for media and creative projects.
Opening-day activities offered another glimpse of how the library extends beyond traditional bookshelves. Visitors could observe the sun, watch a jump-rope performance, play outdoor games and experiment with technology in the media training room.
For Jaime Betz, that variety makes the library a “great place for a Saturday hang when the weather’s hot or rainy.”
But despite everything happening around her, her daughter Audrey had a simpler favorite.
“The books.”
One small discovery made the newness of the library particularly exciting for her. Audrey checked out a copy of “Hocus Pocus” and learned she was the first person to borrow it. She was blown away to discover she was getting first dibs on a book so fresh nobody had cracked the spine.
Across the library, families were already imagining how they would use the space long after opening-day festivities ended.
Alonso Moreno, whose daughter is an avid reader, said having somewhere nearby for families to spend time and meet one another fills an important gap.
“You run into the thought of what do you do for fun? Theme parks?” he said. “Something like this might not be thrill rides, but it fosters a chance for all ages to make friends who are close by.”
That opportunity for connection was echoed throughout the day, whether residents were talking about children meeting future classmates, adults trying a new class or families simply having somewhere nearby to spend an afternoon together.
For the Hill family, checking on the library had become something of a family ritual. Every time they drove past the library, the children checked its progress and asked the same question: “Is it open?”
“It’s been marked on the calendar,” Andrew Hill said.
His wife, Christie, recalled just how early that excitement started on opening morning.
“Alice woke up, I believe she came in at 6 and was like, ‘Are we ready to go?’”
After years of planning, construction and waiting, the answer was finally yes.
And judging by the families reading together, neighbors meeting one another and residents already making plans to return, Horizon West’s long-awaited library is beginning its next chapter as something more than a place to check out books.
It is becoming a place for the community to come together.
Video Recap Courtesy of West Orange.TV
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